10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22, COTS
(COTS Daystation: 95 North Avenue, Burlington)
BURLINGTON – The University of Vermont Medical Center’s orthopedics department holds its 10th annual Hearts to Soles shoe event with guests of the COTS Daystation at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017, at COTS Daystation (95 North Avenue, Burlington).
“We are so thankful to the UVM Medical Center and everyone involved with the Hearts to Soles project for providing this service to help those in need in our community,” said COTS executive director Rita Markley.
The Hearts to Soles (https://www.heartstosoles.com/) is a yearly event dedicated to providing less fortunate people across the nation with free foot screenings and footwear.
Vendors donate shoes, and doctors provide foot exams.
Orthopedic surgeon Jim Michelson, MD, spearheads the University of Vermont Medical Center’s volunteer effort. He will once again be joined by staff from the medical center, as well as Doug Shaw, an orthotist at Orthotekniks in Williston.
“Although we help people every day in the course of our work at UVMMC, what we do at COTS is the purest expression of our aspirations to care for our fellow human beings,” Michelson said.
Michelson described the start of Hearts to Soles: “The first person who sat down across from me was surprised that not only was he going to get a new pair of shoes, but that I was going to examine his feet, even though they hadn’t been washed in quite a while. It was obvious that being treated as an equal among human beings was appreciated. At that point, I knew that this was why participating in this event was so important -- contributing both shoes and a sense of human dignity.”
The COTS Daystation is designed to be a low-threshold support system and central space for clients to connect with services. A noontime meal is served 365 days a year. Staff regularly assists guests with employment, housing, educational presentations, health screenings and veterans outreach. Guests participate in jobs and housing groups. They receive mail, email and phone messages, do laundry and access a computer.
Last year, 457 people visited the Daystation – an average of 43 people a day – to access COTS services and community resources.
Founded in 1982, the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) provides emergency shelter, services, prevention outreach and housing to homeless families and individuals, as well as services to those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. (Learn more at www.cotsonline.org).
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