I GIVE A SHIRTgive hope * restore dignity

This was an exciting day. Numbers turned into names and we made friends. All the shirts sold led to this day and the shopping trips that took place on the four days following. Special thanks to Adam S. for putting this together.

Thanks for stopping by to support local students and their efforts to give hope and restore dignity to the hundreds of homeless students in Salem, OR.

Looking for ways to get involved? There are three easy ways:

1. Buy a shirt!

2. Donate!

3. Spread the word to your friends and family via our twitter feed or facebook fan page!

**UPDATE:  A friend of I Give A Shirt edited the Fox12 footage in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br8EffDr3wE **

We are accepting donations from 8-5pm Monday – Friday. We are so grateful for a foundation of such wonderful supporters! Please talk about us to your friends. We would really appreciate your help!

We are so grateful to Mackenzie Ryan of the Statesman Journal for highlighting I Give A Shirt and our founder, Whitney Ferrin, in an informational article:

“West Salem High School student Whitney Ferrin, 18, and the youth ministry at Salem Alliance Church recently launched a campaign to help homeless students in the Salem-Keizer School District. The group is selling T-shirts with the phrase “Give A Shirt,” with proceeds to be given to homeless students so they can go shopping for new clothes.”

Read the full text of the article here: (http://bit.ly/5nU6xH). Also, we would love it if you would support the Statesman Journal. Please buy today’s newspaper, to show your appreciation.

Also, if you’re interested in buying a shirt to support the cause, please click ‘STORE’ at the top of this page.

Thanks for your part in helping 900 Salem/Keizer homeless students.

We are excited to partner with you to help these kids!

Have you seen The Blind Side yet? Wow. The number one movie in America is the number one way to get an idea about what GIVE A SHIRT is all about. The Blind Side is an extraordinary true story and its summary is listed below.

Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw and Kathy Bates star in Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Blind Side,” which depicts the remarkable true story of All-American football star Michael Oher. Teenager Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) is surviving on his own, virtually homeless, when he is spotted on the street by Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock). Learning that the young man is one of her daughter’s classmates, Leigh Anne insists that Michael—wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the dead of winter—come out of the cold. Without a moment’s hesitation, she invites him to stay at the Tuohy home for the night. What starts out as a gesture of kindness becomes much more as Michael becomes part of the Tuohy family despite the differences in their backgrounds. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. And as the family helps Michael fulfill his potential, both on and off the football field, Michael’s presence in the Tuohys’ lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own.

Do yourself a favor and watch this movie. Then, do someone else a favor and get 10 friends to do similar kinds of things to similar kinds of students. Get one for yourself. Get one for your friend. Get one for your dad. Get one!

Have you seen the movie? Share your thoughts here.

People are giving a shirt! It’s exciting. The project kicked off yesterday amid excitement and an increased commitment to simply treat others the way we would want to be treated.

There’s something inside all of us that doesn’t feel right when something isn’t right. 900 homeless students in a city that is not even very big? Students embarassed to wear the same dirty clothes again and again? 9 shelter beds for students in the whole city?

That something inside us that doesn’t feel right when something isn’t right should be listened to, followed, cultivated, not ignored. The sad and scary reality is that if you ignore those gut-level feelings, they go away.

What’s worse than not acting on those feelings? Not having any.

Pay attention to those feelings? About what or whom are they strongest? Need a great place to start?

How about giving a shirt?

What kinds of things give you that feeling?