MACUNGIE, Pa. – From her walkway, living room floor, and trunk of her van.
“Are you tired of looking at shoes yet?” 69 News reporter Bo Koltnow asked Brenda Marra.
“Yes,” she laughed.
Her footsteps felt region wide.
“Why do you have bags of shoes in your house?” Koltnow asked her.
“We are doing a shoe drive fundraiser,” she said.
The Macungie mom’s goal: Get her five-year-old daughter Renna a stabilizing service dog.
“Renna just started walking at 4 and half, she’s still very unstable. She does not understand safety at all. She’s super curious, so she falls a lot,” Marra said.
Renna has Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder characterized by developmental delays, moderate to severe intellectual disability.
The gently used shoes collected will be sold to Funds2Orgs.
The shoes are then distributed to third world countries.
It’s an effort for Marra to raise the 20,000 dollar service dog fee for the Ohio-based 4 Paws for Ability.
“It’ll also be a really good connection with others, because she’s constantly trying to interact and make friends. But a lot of kids don’t understand why she’s maybe pulling on their shirt, not talking. So we also feel like the dog will be like this communication bridge,” she said.
Sunday, she’s hosting a drive through shoe drop off donation event from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Alburtis pool parking lot.
Donations are being taken through December. A charity event, filled with soul.