27 pairs of shoes????

PitiquitoRosy

Well Known Member
I bought 27 pairs of Heelys to donate to the orphanage. Do I have to declare them at the border?
When are you coming down with them? Maybe we have time to get a letter for you so we can make sure you don't get hassled? Let me know. Not a big deal, and it won't cost you anything. I just have to get a couple of signatures..
 

InkaRoads

cronopiador
since they are for a donation, take them off the boxes, so customs agents will not think they are for re-sale, if you get the red light and if you do not have The letter that Rosie is offering, just explain to them what are they for, in most istances they will allow you in if they feel that you are being genuine
 

PitiquitoRosy

Well Known Member
since they are for a donation, take them off the boxes, so customs agents will not think they are for re-sale, if you get the red light and if you do not have The letter that Rosie is offering, just explain to them what are they for, in most istances they will allow you in if they feel that you are being genuine
While chances are you won't be stopped, or that they will let you through after an explanation, you still run the risk of the opposite happening and either being charged a fee or losing the shoes. If there is time, the donation letter is your surest way to avoid hassle. But yes, take them out of boxes, remove tags, etc.
 

aaronleez

Member
We will be heading down at the end of April. It would be great to have a letter that gives us a green light. We want to bring down a bunch of other stuff - food, books, clothes, etc. Can we get permission for everything on the same letter? Thanks in advance.
 

aaronleez

Member
since they are for a donation, take them off the boxes, so customs agents will not think they are for re-sale, if you get the red light and if you do not have The letter that Rosie is offering, just explain to them what are they for, in most istances they will allow you in if they feel that you are being genuine

If we can't get a letter from Rosie in time, we will take them out of the boxes. I would prefer to leave them in the boxes because they are still shrink wrapped and I think it is alot of fun to receive a shrink wrapped, boxed, gift. It seems a lot more personal. We will do whatever it takes:-D Thanks for the replies.
 

PitiquitoRosy

Well Known Member
We will be heading down at the end of April. It would be great to have a letter that gives us a green light. We want to bring down a bunch of other stuff - food, books, clothes, etc. Can we get permission for everything on the same letter? Thanks in advance.
Yes, you can, and we have time yet to get this done for you. Please send me an email to [email protected] detail what you're bringing, when that will be and for whom the donation is intended. I will get the letter for you and see to it that a copy is faxed to the border agents as well. Also, if you represent an organization, let us know about that group and its function, or tell me if you're just doing this on your own.
 
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aaronleez

Member
We finally decided on the dates, April 28 - May 2. I will email you the exact details on what we are bringing tonight. We "lost" a few pairs of shoes to friends and family, bit I think there are still more than 20. I hope it's not too late to get the letter.
 

aaronleez

Member
Update

We didn't get the letter in time, but we brought the shoes down anyway. We just brought our reciept with us and paid a 15% tax at the border. The looks on the kids faces was priceless. The younger ones didn't recognize the boxes, they probably thought they were just regular shoes. The real treat was watching the older children. They immediately knew what it was by looking at the boxes and they were obviously excited. The kids helped us unload the trunk and they seemed happy and content, considering their situation.
The orphanage is making progress on the new building, it will connect the other buildings and I think there will be a nursery.

One sad note, as we were unloading the boxes one of the little boys (6 or 7 years old) asked the lady in charge "am I going to get new shoes for when I go back with mommy?"
This crushed me and it affected my wife even more than me. After we left we spent the next few hours a little depressed, she even mentioned that she couldn't go back there anymore, it made her too sad(Mabey just send checks or something). We talked a little more and I just kept telling her that we should try to focus on what we can do to help, not on how sad the whole situation is. In the end, we agreed that we will continue to stop by on each trip. I think its good for us to keep things in perspective, and to show how our ability to help others is truly a blessing.
 

mexicoruss

Lovin it in RP!
http://www.rockypointtalk.net/member.php?2015-aaronleezaaronleez

You and your wife keep up the good work. No matter how much money you send no matter how much you give there will always be need. We do it because it is the right thing to do. It can be sad, it can be depressing for a time. If you make a positive impact on someone no matter how small it is still a positive. I understand how you feel, and I think it would be great for you to come back and do it again!
 

aaronleez

Member
Russ,

The sadness lasted a few hours, but the satisfaction from doing the right thing stays with us. I can still see the older kids eyeballing the boxes to see if we had their sizes!!!

Seadweller,

Can't wait for this weekend. I love being on/in the water, If I can convince the wifey to live on a houseboat I would do it in a minute.
 
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