How a gift formed a journey from Nigeria to Devils Lake, and started an award-winning movement

Shoes. He wanted to have the luxury of his own a pair of shoes. Those shoes led him to a new life in a new country, with a new purpose.

Emmanuel “Manny” Ohonme, chair of the International Board of Directors for Sanford Health Systems, is also the founder of a worldwide charitable organization called “Samaritan’s Feet,” which provides shoes to kids in need across this country and the world.

Manny knows what it’s like to do without. Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Manny’s family was very poor. Like many of his friends, Manny never had a pair of shoes to wear growing up, but a pair of shoes changed his life when he was only nine years old. A visiting American from Wisconsin was sponsoring a basketball-shooting contest in Manny’s neighborhood, with the first prize being a pair of American-made basketball shoes. To Manny, owning his own pair of shoes was beyond his wildest dreams, but he entered the contest anyway, and he won!

“Winning those shoes started my love for the game of basketball,” said Manny. “I played all through high school, and then I told my state-level team coach I wanted to play basketball in America. He laughed and said I wasn’t good enough, but I persisted. He gave me some names of schools to send letters to, and he promised to vouch for me.”

One of the schools that showed great interest in Manny was the Universality of North Dakota-Lake Region in Devils Lake. Manny admits he didn’t know much about the United States, much less North Dakota. In early 1989, he chose UND-Lake Region to play basketball and attend college. He accepted the school’s offer to come, and the local paper even did a story about the new player from Nigeria coming to Devils Lake.

But there was a snag. Manny didn’t have the $700 for the plane ticket to the United States. The year went by and the school eventually gave up on Manny’s coming to play for the college basketball team. However, in late 1989 Manny got the money needed for a one-way ticket to America. When he landed in Chicago, he was shocked to learn how far he still was from North Dakota. He had to spend most of his remaining money to buy a ticket to Grand Forks. He then took a bus to Devils Lake.

“It was early winter, and it was freezing when I got there on a Sunday morning,” said Manny. “I started walking to the college and started shaking. At that time a couple named Larry and Shiela were coming from church. They asked me if I was Emmanuel, which freaked me out, but they remembered me from the story in the local paper. They asked if I needed a ride and if I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten in two days, so I said sure. They took me to their home, and they eventually became my “adopted” family during my time at Lake Region. Larry and Shiela were true examples to me of Christian charity and living out a true Christian marriage, which I try to emulate to this day.”

During his time at Lake Region, Manny met his bride, Tracie (Elfman), who grew up attending Mass at St. Joseph’s Church in Devils Lake, and attended UND-Lake Region. He also became friends with fellow teammate Bob Alkofer, whose family attended St. Mary’s Church in Park River.

“Manny became part of the family in so many ways,” said Bob’s mother, Laura Alkofer. “We had Manny come to our house at Easter, Christmas, and other times. My son, Bob, was in Manny’s wedding and is the godfather to Manny and Tracie’s daughter, Adenike.”

Manny eventually transferred to Concordia College in Moorhead, where he played basketball and earned an undergraduate degree in International Relations. He attended graduate school at North Dakota State University, earning a master’s degree in Applied Economics. It was after graduating from NDSU that Manny went back home when his father died, and saw scenes that would change his life.

“I was living the American dream, and I came home to a shock,” said Manny. “I looked out on my neighborhood and saw hundreds of children in poverty. None of them were wearing shoes. I thought to myself what if I could help these kids? What if I could do the same for them that someone did for me and help them achieve their dreams?”

In 2003, Manny and his wife, Tracie, founded the charitable organization Samaritan’s Feet International. According to the organization, it was founded “with the purpose of sharing hope with those in need by washing their feet, giving them a new pair of shoes, and encouraging them to pursue their dreams. To date, more than 7 million pairs of shoes have been distributed to children in need in 108 countries and over 450 U.S. cities.”
          
In recognition of his and Tracie’s efforts, Pope Francis bestowed an award on him (see accompanying article). To this day Samaritan’s Feet continues to work to get shoes on the feet of children worldwide. The organization even manufactures its own line of shoes and markets them at theworldshoe.com.

“Children need shoes,” said Manny. “I learned when starting Samaritan’s Feet that a single cut on a child’s foot could lead to a death sentence through infection. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.5 billion people are infected with diseases worldwide by not wearing shoes. I said someone needs to do something, and I guess that somebody was me, Tracie, and Samaritans Feet. We set a goal of washing and putting shoes on the feet of ten million people, and we’re getting close. We hope to reach that goal by the end of December.”

Manny and Tracie now live in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the Samaritan’s Feet organization operates on an 80,000 square foot complex, and overseas 200,000 employees and volunteers across the globe.

“All of this happened because a coach at UND Lake Region gave me an opportunity,” said Manny. “But the true hero of this story is God. He called me, he allowed the challenges I faced in my upbringing, and overcoming those obstacles has put me where I am today.”



Sanford board chair honored for impacting millions globally
By Courtney Collen – Sanford Health Systems – reprinted with permission

Emmanuel “Manny” Ohonme is changing the world simply by giving a pair of shoes, and hope, to children everywhere.

Ohonme, chair of the Sanford International Board, was recognized for his work as a recipient of the 2021 Pontifical Hero Award for Inspiration.

“I was overwhelmed. I was so shocked. It was one of the best days of my life,” Manny Ohonme told Sanford Health News.

With his wife Tracie, he founded Samaritan’s Feet in 2003. Since its inception, the organization has distributed over 8 million pairs of shoes in 108 different countries and 450 U.S. cities.

In conjunction with the International Vatican Conference in Vatican City, every other year, the Pontifical Hero Award honors individuals who—through generosity, compassion, wisdom, and leadership—have inspired hope. The award is organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Cura Foundation. Ohonme is one of seven recipients of this honor.

“He’s certainly more than deserving,” Sanford Health executive vice president Micah Aberson told Sanford Health News.

Ohonme was presented the award during an intimate, surprise ceremony in Sioux Falls, S.D., with a virtual visit by Monsignor Tomasz Trafny, who heads the science and faith department of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

“Manny, of course, had no idea,” Aberson explained. “He is a tremendously articulate, charismatic, very gregarious individual. And for the first time ever, I saw Manny completely speechless. It was a great moment.”
The adage “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” is a statement that few manage to truly grasp. Ohonme wants the recognition to lift up the opportunity everyone has to be a conduit for change and improve the human condition.

“We are not placed here by accident,” Ohonme explained. “We are here to use our gifts and talents to make this world better. Love is surely the vehicle that’s going to help change this planet, and we are privileged to be a part of that. It doesn’t matter how we begin… find the hurting in your community and make a difference.”