DAVIDSON, N.C. -- When Davidson College senior Andrew Lovedale returns home to Benin City, Nigeria, after graduation this May, the political science major and star basketball forward will be taking 10,500 pairs of shoes with him.

Intended for distribution to children and young adults, the shoes were collected in Kicks from 'Cats-the Andrew Lovedale Shoe Drive at Saturday's BracketBusters basketball game. Fans attending the game also contributed rally towels, jerseys, basketballs and other gear, as well as thousands of dollars to help cover the cost of shipping the shoes.

Samaritan's Feet, a non-profit organization dedicated to changing lives through Shoes of Hope distributions around the world, donated 10,000 pairs of shoes to Kicks from 'Cats, and will also coordinate the complicated logistics of shipping and distribution in Nigeria.

Davidson students, faculty, staff and other volunteers will sort the shoes and prepare them for shipping this Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in Duke Family Performance Hall on the Davidson campus. Volunteers interested in helping with the shoe sort may contact Morgan Clark.

Since arriving at Davidson four years ago, Lovedale has been taking suitcases full of shoes, shirts and other basketball gear home every summer. He distributes the shoes to young people who need them. Lovedale said he was gratified by the results of Saturday's Kicks from 'Cats event. "I appreciate the contributions from everyone and their willingness to be a part of what started in a basketball locker room a few years ago. This will put smiles on the faces of a lot of kids in Nigeria and go a long way toward sending a message of encouragement home," he added. "It helps establish that one little act of kindness can help direct a child to living a good life and becoming the best they can become."

"For me to take stuff back is a gift," Lovedale explained. "I don't feel it's an entitlement because there are lots of players back home who are just as athletic as I am and probably deserve it more. They are probably smarter than me, but I was brought out of that environment and given the resources and the opportunity to thrive."

"Andrew embodies the code of our basketball team," said coach Bob McKillop. "The code of commitment, care and trust. His life, on the court and off the court, is a living example of those three words."

Lovedale and Samaritan's Feet volunteers will distribute the shoes to young people in Nigeria in June. Several Davidson students may join the trip.

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,700 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college. Ninety percent of Davidson students participate in service while at the college.