LAKE FOREST, Ill. – When Israel Idonije arrives in Nigeria later this month, he’ll come bearing gifts.

The Bears defensive lineman will help distribute 1,200 pairs of shoes that were donated over the past several weeks to Share Your Soles, a Chicago-based non-profit organization.

Israel Idonije stands in front of the 1,200 pairs of shoes that he will help distribute in Nigeria.

Idonije initiated the effort through his foundation’s CARE (Caring, Advancing, Restoring and Educating) Africa program after noticing during a trip to his native country last March that few people owned shoes.

Idonije was blown away by the support he received and wishes he could thank each individual who took the time and the effort to donate a pair of shoes. The way he sees it, the beneficiaries of the program will receive far more than something to put on their feet.

“Something so little transforms a life,” Idonije said. “It’ll give them a sense that someone cares, that someone gave something for them to be a little more comfortable. 

"Yes, it’s about putting soles on their feet, but there’s a bigger message behind that that resonates through to these children.

“To the people who gave a pair of shoes, that’s what I want to let them know. They did much more than donate a pair of shoes. They’re really affecting a life in sending a message to someone on another continent that people in this world care. It starts with the shoes, but it’s not going to end with them.”

Idonije is traveling to Nigeria for the third straight year. He’s slated to be there from March 19-29. He will make the trip with a medical team from Oklahoma City that includes six doctors and five nurses.

The group will conduct three medical clinics and two sports camps in rural villages, where Idonije will help teach football and soccer skills. The traveling party is also scheduled to meet with local government officials to discuss water resources and wells. 

“I’m sure the people are going to be extremely grateful,” said Idonije, who was born in Lagos, Nigeria, but grew up in Manitoba, Canada. “In the two years that we’ve done the program, regardless of what we’ve brought, the attitude of the people has just been unparalleled.”

During their goodwill trip to Nigeria last year, Idonije and Bears teammate Adewale Ogunleye met a four-year-old girl who needed a heart operation to save her life.

The Heart Gift Foundation in Austin, Texas, had already agreed to perform the surgery for free, but the little girl’s family couldn’t afford to fly her to the United States. That’s where Ogunleye and Idonije stepped in, splitting the cost of round-trip airline tickets for little Segun Ashman and her mom, Funmi.

The surgery was a success, and Segun stopped in Chicago a few months later with her mother to visit Ogunleye and Idonije before returning to Nigeria. The Bears defensive linemen took them to Soldier Field and Navy Pier, and the young girl and her mother stayed in a luxury suite donated by the Hilton Chicago.

“It was awesome,” Idonije said at the time. “It was great to just be a part of something so big and positive like that. We’re now forever a part of this young girl’s life, and it’s going to be exciting to see how she grows into the person she becomes. For her now to be able to live a normal life is great."