Viral Tweet From Chicagoan: Stop Burning Nikes And Donate Them To Puerto Rican Orphanage Instead

CHICAGO — Nike’s new ad campaign featuring former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sparked outrage  among conservatives this week, with some people vowing to boycott the brand and throw their existing Nike products in the trash.

As people cut the swooshes off their socks (seriously), Riot Fest creative director Jeremy Scheuch couldn’t help but think of all the kids he’s been working with in Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria who would be thrilled to get a gently used pair of Jordans.

So, he tweeted an idea: instead of destroying your perfectly good Nikes, donate them to an orphanage in Puerto Rico.

Scheuch’s tweet has been shared more than 6,000 times and liked by more than 21,000 people.

“If people who are mad for whatever reason and you want to donate instead of burning shoes, there are legitimate people who are in need,” he said. “Don’t destroy perfectly good apparel to make a point.”

Nike’s new ad campaign featuring former 49ers quarterback Colin Kapernick sparked backlash this week.

The ad features a close up of Kaepernick’s face with the words: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

Last year, Kaepernick began kneeling during the National Anthem to call attention to police brutality. The silent protest prompted other players to join in him. The protest resulted in some football fans posting videos on social media burning his jersey.

In similar fashion, the Nike advertisement has caused outrage among fans who have posted videos burning Nike apparel.

Meanwhile, Scheuch has been directing boycotters to donate the apparel to La Casa De Todos in Puerto Rico.

According to the nonprofit’s website, La Casa de Todos has provided emergency and temporary shelter to abused children and woman who have been victims of domestic violence.

The facility is currently housing six women and 25 children between the ages of 3 to 12, Scheuch said.

Scheuch, along with his girlfriend Danielle Colby and friend Carlos Tirado, has been making trips to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria to help after the U.S. territory after it was devastated by the storm nearly a year ago.

The trio, along with a group of friends, traveled to the island to rebuild the roof at the shelter last December.

Scheuch gets serious when urging people not to forget that Puerto Rico has yet to recover from the storm.

“I know people who still don’t have power,” Scheuch said. “There is an orphanage with kids who still can’t drink water out of a fountain. They are still survive on bottle water.”

Since the tweet, he said small apparel companies boycotting Nike have reached out and he hopes the tweet can generate “extra boxes” of items for the orphanage.

“I tweet a lot of stupid stuff,” Scheuch said. “Mostly smart a– comments, sports stuff and occasionally political stuff. I have never had a tweet get more than a couple of dozen retweets.”

“I’m glad it’s this tweet that went viral,” he said. “I’m glad I could do some good with a tweet that kind of came out of nowhere.”

If you want to donate money to La Casa De Todos, you can do so here. If you have new or gently used clothing, shoes and socks  for kids or adults, you can send them to La Casa De Todos, HC 23 Box 6128, Juncos, PR 00777-9710.