Maurice tiptoes in. He's not sneaking. He can't walk right. Oh, he knows how to walk. He's a second-grader.

But his shoes are way too small. They're the only shoes he owns. Maurice is a painfully shy, timid child. His too-small shoes can't be helping.

Without adequate shoes, kids feel humiliated at school. Other children laugh, say mean things.

But you can make a difference!

Through your generous support of Here's Life Inner City, we mount our annual Heart & Sole campaign ... providing brand-new back-to-school shoes as expressions of God's love for children in America's inner cities.

In Maurice's city, there's an urban church with a S.A.Y. Yes! Center (S.A.Y. Yes! is the biblically-based curriculum for at-risk children that Here's Life has developed and made available to inner-city churches).

Maurice goes every day after school. He's learning about Jesus, and he also learning how Jesus provides ... one day at S.A.Y. Yes! there are brand-new shoes -- just for him!

His face lights up. He sits down -- pulls them on -- leaps up -- and starts running and jumping for joy.

For little Maurice -- as for hundreds and hundreds of other children of the inner city -- new sneakers lead the way back to school.

But most importantly ... new sneakers can lead the way to Jesus.

To a child who has no hope of getting adequate shoes -- when someone hands you a new pair of sneakers -- the gratitude is intense ... it's like glue. There's friendship, trust.

And when that friend introduces you to a Friend called Jesus, you start a whole new life.

Today, I invite you to be part of Heart & Sole by giving a special gift of love to Here's Life Inner City, the compassionate urban outreach of Campus Crusade for Christ.

We hope to give shoes to 1,712 children like Maurice across our nation as school starts this year. Every $26.60 given provides for another child.

You could touch three children with a gift of $79.80. Or give $133 to share God's love, in the form of shoes, with five children. Click here to give online.

As you give today, you can celebrate the joy of having an impact on a child's life. Please respond as quickly as possible.

In Him,

John H. Sather, National Director


PS. iHope -- stories of hope and life from our cities -- will remind you that our God is a God of redemption, renewal, and hope. To sign up for our free monthly e-newsletter, please click here.