Fourth-graders in several classrooms at Mars Area Elementary School, working in partnership with the Mars Area Centennial School FOR (Friends of Rachel) Club, will sponsor a Shoe Drive, to be held Monday, Feb. 4, through Friday, Feb. 15.

The schools will be accepting donations of gently worn, used or new shoes, which will be donated to those living in developing nations through Funds2Orgs. The social enterprise company will make a payment to the schools based on the weight of the shoes collected and the schools will donate all proceeds to a local charity, which as yet to be determined.

“As our students have been engaged in ‘Rachel’s Challenge,’ they have discussed ways in which they can show acts of kindness (and) give back both locally, nationally and globally,” say Stephanie Graff and Jamie Waters, who are coordinating the fundraiser, along with their fellow fourth grade teachers Chris Petrini and Jennifer Renner. “With as many community members and students involved as possible, we know that our goal is attainable.”

The goal of the fund-raiser is to collect 2,500 pairs of shoes. For more information, call (724) 625-3161 or click on the following link: