People coming to the Vintage Days celebration at Fresno State this weekend just might leave shoe-less.
But it will be for a good cause as Fresno State marketing students wrap up a massive shoe drive, dubbed “SoleTrain 2014,” to collect 10,000 pairs of shoes by 5 p.m. Saturday, April 26 in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest map made out of shoes. The donated shoes will be disbursed to nine local charities.
Scheduled as part of the 40th anniversary of Vintage Days that runs April 25-27, the students and volunteers will assemble shoes into a map representing the world on the band practice field on San Ramon Avenue east of Maple Avenue (east of the Science II building).
The public is invited to bring new or gently-worn shoes to the project booth at Vintage Days from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday or to the map assembly site on Saturday. Visitors can watch the construction of the map and take photos throughout the day with the projected 20,000 shoes.
At about 5 p.m., the students will announce their final results and between 5:30-6 p.m., the donated shoes will be loaded onto trucks for delivery to the charities: Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club of Fresno County, Catholic Charities, Hinds Hospice, Highway City Community Development, Poverello House, Fresno Rescue Mission, Reading and Beyond and The Salvation Army.
SoleTrain has collection sites throughout Fresno and will also arrange personal pick-ups. Call 559.284.3324 or email soletrain2014@gmail.com.
It is the first time a Guinness World Record is being attempted in this category, said team coordinator Bianca Mancilla of Sanger.
“Regardless of whether or not they set the world record, any and all shoes fit for reuse will be donated to local charities,” Mancilla said. “We hope that project SoleTrain will help bring our community together, help those in need and put Fresno on the map in a positive way.”
The team has 12 students who are senior marketing majors in Dr. William Rice’s
Marketing Strategies 188 course in the Department of Management and Marketing in the Craig School of Business.
Joining Mancilla are Amy Bachmeyer, Andrew Esguerra, Megan Souza, Amy Yang, Wendy Moua, Chris Simons and Shelby Davidson, all of Fresno; Veronica Sandoval of Guanajuato, Mexico; Cameron Jones of Clovis; Afona Gebre of San Jose; and Nicholas Gargan of Colfax.
Each semester, Rice’s students are assigned to conduct major marketing campaigns such as a Guinness World Record attempt, which has become a Fresno State tradition. In recent years, students have promoted everything from the largest recycled Bulldog to the largest water balloon fight that drew thousands to campus but fell short of qualifying for a record.
The projects usually benefit a charitable cause, are free and open to the public and rely on donations and sponsorships rather than public funds.
The successful attempts are not official world records until Guinness verifies formal claims, which can take several weeks. The students are required to provide evidence such as logs, official witness statements and photos/videos to Guinness. Since the final verification comes long after the semester ends, Rice grades the students on accomplishing stated goals and executing business practices for a successful marketing campaign using real world experiences.
Successful Fresno State attempts confirmed by Guinness include the world’s largest fruit salad (fall 2011) and the world’s largest smoothie (spring 2012).
For more information about the SoleTrain project, see the project’s Facebook or visit Sole Train 2014.
SoleTrain project (donating shoes or arranging pick-ups) – www.facebook.com/soletrain2014 or www.soletrain2014.wix.com/soletrain2014.
