dav to Donate 2800 Pairs of Rain Boots to Ravaged Japan inserted with Children’s Hope-Themed Art Work

OXNARD, CALIFORNIA, March 28, 2011 – däv, a fashion rain boot company, is donating 2800 pairs of rain boots to recently ravaged areas of Japan through the shoe charity Soles4Soles. The boots which are retail-valued at over $182,000, will include a piece of art inserted into each pair created by local school children with the message of HOPE. The shipment is expected to leave the company’s Oxnard headquarters April 4 and make its way to Northern Japan in time for the rainy season, which starts now.

Teaming up with Soles4Souls, the international non-profit dedicated to providing footwear for people in need, was coordinated by Kerri Sengstaken, co-founder of the brand. “We know Japan’s rainy season is about to begin, which will complicate lives further. We make rain wear, so it is imperative to us that we get involved and help,” said Sengstaken. “Soles4Soles has distributed more than 13.5 million pairs of shoes to people in need and provided aid in such disasters as Katrina, Haiti and the Tsunami in Southeast Asia. We are sure they are the right agency to distribute our rain boots to the people in most desperate need as quickly as possible,” she added.

Each pair will include artwork created by school children of Ventura County, California, and will feature the word ‘HOPE’ along with their illustrations to convey courage and love. The art will be featured in an online gallery on Facebook and YouTube so that the children’s messages are conveyed globally. “At school, this project opened an important door for dialogue between teachers and students to discuss the impact of what happened in Japan and how we could do something to show we care. The students were profoundly impacted by the fact that their art will travel across the world and their message of hope and love will be seen by the Japanese people,” said Heather Ramsey, head teacher of Summit Elementary School in Ojai, California. “The project also gave us the opportunity to address their fears of how such a disaster can happen here in Southern California,” she added.

Oxnard community leaders, teachers and parents have volunteered to insert the art to ready the boots for the shipment’s departure. The boots will ship to Soles4Souls main distribution center in Alabama, and then be combined with other supplies headed for the battered regions of Japan. “Thanks to partners like däv, Soles4Souls is able to provide much needed relief to the individuals recovering from this disaster,” said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls.

About däv®
The luxury rain boot collection is sold in contemporary and footwear boutiques, online and in the equine specialty market. The company is based in Oxnard, California, just North of Los Angeles. http://www.davrain.com/
About Soles4Souls®
Soles4Souls collects, recycles and reuses shoes from warehouses of footwear companies and closets from individuals. We distribute usable shoes to people in need around the world (we recycle less than 2% of donated footwear). Since 2005, Soles4Souls has given away over 13 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes (currently distributing one pair every 7 seconds). The shoes have been distributed in 125 countries, including Haiti, Kenya, Nepal and the United States. Donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit www.giveshoes.org http://www.giveshoes.org for more information.

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