FAIRBORN — When players on the Wright State University men’s basketball team laced up their sneakers to play the visiting Flames from UIC on Dec. 28, the entire Raiders coaching staff arrived shoeless.
By coaching a game barefoot, the coaches hoped to raise awareness for Samaritan’s Feet, a global humanitarian organization that provides shoes for children around the world. Samaritan’s Feet was founded in 2003 and has served over 6.8 million people.
Basketball players and coaches also volunteered Dec. 29 at the Fairborn United Methodist Church to wash people’s feet and pass out 200 new athletic sneakers to those in need.
The intimate encounter allowed the players to exchange stories and experiences with the recipients, according to a press release by Wright State.
“You never know what someone is going through so to sit down and talk to them, wash their feet and give them some new shoes, it could mean the world to them,” said Mark Hughes, a senior basketball player.
