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Help Laureus turn OLD boots into NEW sports gear for kids in Rio favelas

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February 6, 2013
How many pairs of shoes do you think can fit in a van?
It may sound like the start of a joke, but it’s exactly what football legend Franz Beckenbauer will be thinking about this month as he works to fill an entire Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with football boots, all for the benefit of kids in Rio de Janeiro, the home of the Laureus World Sports Awards on March 11.
But he will need your help to do it.
Through the new ‘Boots for Rio’ initiative from Laureus Foundation Germany, Beckenbauer is asking everyone to “show solidarity with the children of the Rio favelas and send a pair of your used boots.”
But the young football lovers in Rio won’t be getting your old, worn out boots. Thanks to Mercedes-Benz, your donations will be recycled into brand new sports equipment for kids at a Laureus-supported project in Brazil.
What’s more, if the van gets filled, the new Mercedes Sprinter will be donated to the project as well!
Launching the ‘Boots for Rio’ drive, Beckenbauer said: “Football is more than a world sport. Football is a universal language, capable of helping people build bridges and overcome barriers. Please help us give children in Rio the dream of tackling social problems through football and developing the spirit of the game.”
For more info, drop Laureus a tweet on @LaureusSport or if you have boots to spare, send them in to us at 460, Fulham Road, London, SW6 1BZ!

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