BISMARCK, ND - In a sport where the sartorial stylings of the head coach is on constant display during games, what University of Mary basketball coaches Rick Neumann and Joe Kittell are doing this weekend almost seems out of place, until you know the reason why.
 
To raise awareness for those who may not have shoes, Neumann and Kittell will coach barefoot for Samaritan's Feet Night on Friday, Feb. 10, when St. Cloud State University visits the McDowell Activity Center. This is the second straight year Neumann and Kittell have coached in their bare feet to help draw awareness for the need for shoes both here in the U.S. and around the world. For Kittell it is the fourth time in his career.
 
Marauders men's assistant coaches Josh Vaughan, Casey Bruggeman and Justin McCloud and women's assistant coaches Jason Schmitz and Allie Paluchniak also plan to coach barefoot while the St. Cloud State women's coaches will make a donation to Samaritan's Feet.
 
Fans can make a free will donation for Samaritan's Feet during the Marauders-Huskies games on Friday. Additionally Marauders Athletics will donate a portion of Friday's gate receipts to Samaritan's Feet. Funds raised in Bismarck remain in the community to help provide shoes for local children.
 
On Sunday, Feb. 12, Samaritan's Feet will conduct a shoe distribution at Bismarck's Will-Moore Elementary School for local children in grades K-5 who are in need of shoes. The event lasts from 1-4 pm. Members of the Marauders men's and women's basketball, volleyball and baseball teams, University of Mary campus ministry and other community volunteers anticipate serving over 300 elementary school students.
 
This is the second event that Mary student-athletes and their coaches have been a part of in Bismarck. During the last Samaritan's Feet distribution in the Bismarck area, 400 children were provided shoes in Oct. 2015. Since 2013, over 4,000 children across North Dakota have been blessed with new shoes at 17 separate events in Bismarck, Devils Lake, Grand Forks and Fargo.
 
Friday's doubleheader against St. Cloud State tips off with the women's game at 6 pm with the men following at 8 pm.
 
About Samaritan's Feet International
Samaritan's Feet is a humanitarian aid organization that shares a message of hope and love through washing the feet of impoverished children around the world and adorning them with new shoes. There are an estimated 2.2 billion people who can't afford basic necessities like shoes and more than 1.5 billion infected with parasitic diseases transmitted through contaminated soil. Since its founding by Manny and Tracie Ohonme in 2003, Samaritan's Feet and its team of ambassadors and partners have blessed nearly 7 million children in more than 75 nations and over 325 U.S. cities. For more information about Samaritan's Feet International, visit www.SamaritansFeet.org.
 
North Dakota is a very special place for Samaritan's Feet as it was where Samaritan's Feet Co-Founder Manny Ohonme moved from his home in Nigeria to Devils Lake to play basketball at the University of North Dakota- Lake Region (now Lake Region State College). It was at Lake Region that he met his wife, Tracie, a native of Devils Lake. He went on to receive his Bachelor's degree from Concordia College and a Master's degree from NDSU. Manny was inducted in to the Lake Region Hall of Fame this past October.
 
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