NIKE LOVES THE KIDS

this years student designers. (site: doernbecher childrens hospital website)
the sneakers they designed. i especially like the air rift's one on the bottom right corner. (doernbecher childrens hospital website)

portland, oregon--- when you think of the a nike shoe designer, you (or at least i) think of a cool, hip, guy in his late twenties with a tousled head of hair, levi's slim cut jeans on an edgy graphic tee and the best dunks money can buy. i have no idea of nike designer marcus tayui actually looks like this - but when he saw the ailing children at the doernbecher children's hospital he must've thought - these kids are nike designers. that could have been part of the inspiration behind the "doernbecher freestyle" a mindblowing, heartwarming, super-smart fundraiser that turns patients at doernbecher children's hospital into nike shoe designers. the program has been going on since 2004, and this past september a gala event was held were business and community leaders got a chance to check out and bid on the shoes the patients designed. although we didn't get a chance to attend, we can still buy the shoes. nike is debuting limited editions of them at niketown stores nationwide startind november 7th, 2007. according to an article on the hospital's website, "this year's patient designers come from Doernbecher's cancer, neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, trauma and nephrology programs." doernbecher freestyle 4 shoes were unveiled to a sold out crowd at Wieden + Kennedy on so far this initiative has raised more than "$247,000 for the kids at Doernbecher!!" thank you to t.b.r correspondent omar abdullah for sending this story my way.