DCC Buccaneers Coaching Barefoot on Sunday, February 2nd at 1:00 and 3:00 pm
The DCC basketball game times on Sunday have been moved up to 1:00 and 3:00 pm because of the Super Bowl craze in Glendive. Athletic Director Joe Peterson announced, “DCC is so excited that Glendive native Mike Person is in the Super Bowl. Our students and fans all want to watch and support Mike as he tries to become a world champion on Sunday so we thought that by moving the games up an hour, it would give people a chance to see our teams play and still make it home in time to watch the Super Bowl. We will have the pre-game on our TV’s in the Toepke Center so that people won’t miss out on anything!”
Sunday’s basketball games will be a little extra special too. Lady Bucs Coach Romeo Lagmay and Buccaneers Coach Joe Peterson will be coaching their game against Bismarck State in their bare feet to help raise awareness of the millions of people throughout the world who don’t have proper footwear. This is the fourth year they have partnered with Samaritan’s Feet to host this event.
“Barefoot Coaching” is a movement that was started by Samaritan’s Feet in 2003. Founders Manny and Tracie Ohonme (Oh-ho-may) created it with the goal of distributing 10 million pairs of shoes in 10 years. Since that time, almost 7 million pairs of shoes have been distributed in over 75 countries and in over 325 US cities. The organization is based in Charlotte, NC. There are also offices in Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
Samaritan’s Feet Founder Manny Ohonme came to the US to play basketball in the late 1980’s at Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, ND, so the Mon-Dak Conference has a special place in the heart of the organization. For the past 5 seasons, both the Men’s and Women’s coaches at Lake Region have been “Barefoot Coaches” and will do so again in February. College Coaches who coach a game barefoot is one of the many ways that Samaritan’s Feet draws awareness to the need for proper footwear.
Over 1.5 billion people are infected with soil-transmitted diseases that could be prevented by wearing proper footwear. Over 300 million children in Africa alone do not own a pair of shoes. After spending 11 years living in rural Kenya, Coach Peterson has seen this firsthand and is passionate about making a difference.
Even in America, good shoes are a need. According to the most recent “Champions for Kids” report, shoes and socks are in the “Top 10 Items Schools Need You to Donate.”
Any fans who bring a new pair of shoes or donate money at Sunday’s game will receive a free bag of popcorn and a ticket to a future game.
The new shoe donations that are received at Sunday’s games will be used by Samaritan’s Feet to serve children and adults within the Mon-Dak region as part of their “Shoes of Hope” shoe distributions. Samaritan’s Feet shares a message of love and hope by washing the feet of those who receive shoes, helping them believe that their dreams can come true.
Any money donated on Thursday will go towards shoes, soccer cleats and educating girls in Mbita, Kenya. Coach Peterson was the founder of an organization called the Suba Lakers Football Club. The club uses football as a way to impact the girls' lives physically, socially, academically and spiritually; giving them hope for a better future in this life and eternity. Shoes and education are critical needs to help these girls build a better future!
Game times on Sunday are 1:00 pm for the women and 3:00 pm for the men.
For much more information about Samaritan’s Feet, please go to www.samaritansfeet.org
For more information on Suba Lakers please go to www.subalakers.com
