Book and sneaker drive making its debut in Windsor

A drive to collect gently used books and sneakers for youth in Ghana has come to Windsor.

Rozaay Management Book and Sneaker Drive, which started in Toronto, has launched a campaign in several cities in Ontario.

In the three years since it launched elsewhere, more than 11,000 books and 1,000 shoes have been donated to schools and orphanages in Ghana, said Randy Osei, founder of the drive and owner of Rozaay Management.

Osei, 29, is a Toronto entrepreneur and community advocate of African descendant. He made his first trip to Ghana in 2016 and said he saw a lot of himself in the children there, which was the motivation for the book and shoe drive.

“We owe it to each other to give back to the community and those who have less than us,” said Osei. “It’s not about how many [books and shoes] are donated. It’s the quality and ensuring that we have an impact. It can be 100,000. It can be 2,000. It can be 500. As long as we’re able to give back and put smiles on kids faces. That’s our only mission.”

The collection location in Windsor is still to be determined but people who would like to contribute can donate books suitable for infants to young adults as well as shoes which work with the warm climate in Ghana. 

The Windsor Public Library will be donating boxes of young adult novels.

“We are overwhelmed with the generosity of people,” said Nancy Peel, a public service manager at the Windsor Public Library Central branch.

For more information or to find out how you can donate to the book and sneaker drive, visit http://www.rozaaymgmt.com/contact.