Three friends went for a run in 2005 and conversation moved to the closets full of running shoes they owned; shoes no longer good enough for logging running miles but otherwise in very usable shape. Tracey, Cindy, and Jen hatched a plan and soon, Sole Responsibility was born. The grass-roots non-profit started collecting shoes and established a relationship with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees which advised them on where the shoes are in most need. Over the course of the next decade, collections were sent to countries including Chad, Rwanda, Lesotho, Cameroon, Djibouti, Rwanda and Namibia. Tremendous efforts were put forth by board members, community volunteers and sponsors. Those sponsors included great organizations like Norton Rose, Bridgehead, Ottawa Fit, WESA and Bushtukah. Check out our photo album for some great images through the years.

With Shoe Bank Canada now leading efforts to collect and donate shoes in the National Capital Region, Sole Responsibility (SR) decided to set to work on changing direction. One of the first steps occurred in 2017 when our major financial supporter, the Ottawa Running Club, became officially part of SR. The ORC was founded in 2007 and donates 100% of the funds they raise to charitable causes including SR and other organizations such as the Canadian Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders. In January of 2018, the charity launched a new program, funded by our running club, with the aim to increase physical activity opportunities for children in low income neighbourhoods of our region. Please watch our website for future developments. Since 2018, through our grant program, we have donated $5,000 to various local programs promoting physical activity for our youth.

The special needs classes at Bell High School have physical education every day. The Grant from Sole Responsibility helps purchase equipment to enhance physical activity involvement. The additional funds provided through the Grant will allow Bell High School to purchase equipment for learning and to bring the students to participate in activities in the community.

Every week the Centennial Running Club runs and does fitness together as a team. Unlike other sports teams in our school, this is a club that meets all year round. Our primary goal as a club is to learn how to enjoy running and fitness as a regular part of our lives. Our secondary goal is for students living in downtown Ottawa to be able to exercise for free without the supervision of parents or signing up for expensive extra-curricular activities.

When our club first started three years ago we were a small group of seven students. This year in our third year we have more than twenty regular participants. Thanks to the Sole Responsibility Grant we received last year we were able to take our club to the next level and we started signing up for 5km races. With the funds we received, we are now able to register for expensive races that our club participants couldn’t otherwise afford to take part in.

The Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO) is thrilled to learn that Sole Responsibility has granted $1000 to cover registration fees and T-shirt costs to allow 22 newcomer students from Ridgemont High School to participate in the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, May 25-26.

Ridgemont teacher Nadia Gandhi has spoken of the newcomer students’ experience:

The benefits and skills attained as a result of training for race day are ongoing. The students who participated experienced an inner shift like no other. The connection between school and mental & physical health as a result of training for a 5km was amazing. It all connected. Students studied better. Students felt part of a community. One of the goals with this race is to heal through running