OCC 20 Years Ago

I have been asked to create a PowerPoint presentation on the 20th Anniversary of OCC - so I have again been digging through the archives. It reminded me of a conversation I had with one of the members of that first convoy who told me that the shoeboxes almost didn't happen!

Dave Cooke had the initial idea to take a vehicle of aid to Romania after the pictures of the orphanages were shown on the TV in 1990. His friends rolled their sleeves up and appealed for aid and it all came flooding in thanks to appeal on local radio. Dave's sister, Jan, however thought that it would be a great idea for her own children - Alex & Peter (all grown up now!) to put presents into a box - rather than the donations going into a big anonymous pile. Thus the shoebox idea was born. She told co-founder Dai Hughes who being 'media savvy' could see what a great idea it was and encouraged the first collection of shoeboxes.

Some of the other team members however, felt that shoeboxes would take up too much room and not allow for what they saw as more important aid such as medical equipment. A great deal of negotiation and 'heated debates' went on before it was agreed that the boxes would go. As it happens, so many trucks were donated that there was room for everything. On such small details whole movements are founded....81 million children who have received shoeboxes since are glad that they decided to put those little boxes on board!