CureFest Shoe Memorial
2025 CureFest will feature a powerful memorial on the National Mall to pay tribute to children who have passed away from cancer.
On Sunday, September 21, we will display 1,800 pairs of empty shoes at the base of the Washington Monument across from the National Sylvan Theater.
If you are a bereaved parent and would like to ship a pair of shoes to represent your child, please ship the shoes to the following address by September 10:
CureFest Shoe Memorial
c/o Mike Gillette
10311 Beaumont St.
Fairfax, VA 22030
Along with the shoes, please include a note with your name, your e-mail address, your child's name, and his or her hometown. Also include a description of the shoes - brand, color and size.
This will help our volunteers keep track of the shoes once they arrive. We will e-mail you within a week of receiving the shoes.
Please note that due to the inherent risks of mailing
items, we do not recommend sending original shoes that belonged to your child. A new or substitute pair in the same color, size and style that your child wore is preferred.
We will do our very best to take great care of the shoes but mistakes happen and we do not want to lose or misplace anything so precious. If you do send original shoes, please understand the risks. Contact Mike at mike@thetruth365.org with any questions.
We intend to keep the shoes sent by bereaved parents separate from the shoes donated by the general public. This will allow us to place the shoes representing specific children in a prominent section of the display.
Also, we cannot mail shoes back to families. If you would like your shoes returned to you, please bring them to CureFest in person or have a friend bring them to CureFest for you. Shoes can be picked up at the end of the event on September 21 around 2 pm.
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