Red Shoe Day 2018

Hundreds converge on Valley intersections to raise money

Some 700 volunteers from various businesses and organizations converged on 52 intersections throughout the county Thursday. Most of them were dressed in red and gold, and many were waving about red rubber shoes and demanding money from passing cars.

And a lot of drivers happily complied.

The occasion behind this rather gaudy shakedown was Imperial Valley’s eighth annual Red Shoe Day, a fundraising drive on behalf of Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego.

Ronald McDonald himself was spotted making the rounds to the various collection sites, and he did so in the company of the President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego, Charles E. Day.

“It has been quite a day! But a fantastic and joyous day!” Allegra Sonza, major gifts coordinator for the charity, said after the Red Shoe event had ended.

As of press time, Sonza said she was still uncertain of the total amount of money collected from Thursday’s event, but she hoped it would at least match the $26,000 collected on Red Shoe Day in 2017. She said last year’s entire campaign in the Valley raised more than $70,000.

“We are hoping to surpass that amount this year,” she said.

Ronald McDonald House offers families with a child hospitalized for serious illness or injury a chance at a bit of normalcy while the child is being treated. They get a place to stay as a family at little or no cost. This includes private bedrooms, playrooms for the kids and home-cooked meals.

In 2017, 264 families from Imperial Valley had overnight stays at the Ronald McDonald House in San Diego. In fact, about 25 percent of the families served by the house annually come from the Valley, Sonza said.