How many pairs of shoes do you own – 2, 5, 25, more? I know some of us are crazy about shoes, and that's all right if you ask me.

However, here is another question. What do you do with your old shoes when you are done with them? Do you throw them away? I usually do, but recently I heard of a great program that uses old shoes to help people who really need them. I will not be throwing mine away any more.

The name of the program is Shoe 4 Africa. Here are some facts I located on the web site:

• The AIDS pandemic has orphaned more than 14 million children, 92% of which live in Africa.
• In 2005 over 2 million people died of HIV related symptoms in sub-Saharan Africa.
• The simple act of putting shoes on a person not only builds self-esteem, but it increases hygiene and greatly reduces the chance of intestinal worm infection Intestinal worms enter the body through exposed feet.
• In Africa 83% of the world's AIDS-related deaths occur, but its population represents only 10% of the world's population.
• Shoe 4 Africa recently created the first AIDS-awareness pamphlet. This is GNO, for some tribes have no information concerning AIDS in their own language.

Now before some you send email, as some recently have, complaining that the above information is not Good News Only, stop and think. The GNO is that by simply sending abroad a pair of old shoes, you can affect some good into the world. Your own heart will feel better, with the knowledge that one simple act of kindness may have literally saved someone's life.

I am sending my old shoes onward, and you should do the same. We can help bring the AIDS pandemic to and end, and that is definitely GNO.

To get involved, go to the Shoe 4 Africa web site at: http://www.shoe4africa.org/