Flip-flops given to Yuma kids

Possibly the next best thing to going barefoot in the summer is wearing a pair of flip-flops.

And thanks to Salvation Army and the Old Navy store in the Yuma Palms Regional Center, more youngsters can beat the heat in style this season.

Flip-Flops for Friends is a donation campaign aimed to clad a lot of feet to beat the summer's heat. From now till Sunday, the program asks Old Navy customers buy two pairs of flip-flops and donate one to their local Boys and Girls Club. And for their donation, customers will receive a coupon for a 10 percent discount good from June 28 to July 4.

"It's a great way to get kids out of their closed-heeled shoes and let them relax in flip-flops," said Louis Galaviz, executive director of the Yuma Boys and Girls Club.

This is the first time the Boys and Girls Club has partnered with Old Navy and the idea was to focus on low-income families because it can be difficult for some to provide a second pair of shoes for their children and this was a way to get a lot of them into comfort footwear for the season, Galaviz said.

"The flip-flops are great because the kids won't worry about ruining their only pair of shoes for school."

The casual footwear will be especially handy for Boys and Girls Club summer activities, he noted. Every week the club visits Kennedy Pool to use the water slides and also "wage water balloon wars," he added.

"We're really happy to partner with Old Navy and bring smiles to kids faces, and they'll be glad to let their feet breathe for summer."

The promotion is not a corporate-wide event, but six states -including Arizona, California, and Texas - are participating, said Diana Saltz, Yuma Palms' Old Navy manager.

"So far we donated 108 pairs of flip-flops from our store and in May we had an associates pledge that got 50 pairs from our employees."

Old Navy set regional goals to provide a target number of flip-flops with the aim of surpassing 120,000 pairs donated. So far they have given the Boys and Girls Club nearly 40,000 pairs. Gap Inc., Old Navy's corporate parent, has a long history of partnering with the Boys and Girls Club as well as support of other nonprofits that improve the quality of life for youths, Saltz noted.

"We're excited about getting involved with our community and proud Gap is supporting our efforts in Yuma. Especially when you consider where the economy is going, we want to make sure the children out there are being taken care of."

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William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.