June 23, 2014. Nearly six months after beginning his shoe drive, Appalachian State University’s men’s basketball’s Michael Obacha (Edo State, Nigeria/High Point Christian) is finally seeing his dream come to fruition. Since the middle of January, Obacha has collected 700 pairs of shoes as well as other basketball supplies to take back to children in his home country of Nigeria.
After packing the items for shipment in April, the shoes made a transatlantic trip to the African nation last month before arriving in Obacha’s hometown on June 17. Prior to the shoes arriving, Obacha had already begun his charity work by handing out basketballs, pumps and nets to those in need.
Once the shoes arrived, Obacha began the bulk of his efforts by identifying specific areas where large numbers of people needed footwear. The main show distribution started on June 20 and will run through June 23.
Obacha plans to hand out shoes to children at an orphanage, players at an all-girls basketball facility and those who are homeless in his country.
Next week, he will begin working with former Davidson basketball player Andrew Lovedale and the Access to Success Foundation which has aided Obacha in his efforts to make a difference.
Fans can stay up to date on Obacha’s efforts by visiting AppStateSports.com or following on Twitter at @appstate_sports and @appstatebball. In addition, Obacha’s journal entries will be featured in an article by Kami Mattioli of The Sporting News who documented the story in January.
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