2006-2007 Annual Report

Heart. Cody Fisher ’06 is living in northern Iraq and working for a non-governmental relief and development organization. Recently, he and friend Jeremy Courtney created a unique business: Buy Shoes. Save Lives. They’re working together with local businesses to export Iraqi handmade shoes throughout the world. The idea was born when Fisher and Courtney made a short, documentary-style film about how the shoes, called klash , were made. They began to wonder if there might be a market for exporting klash to other countries. Often frustrated by financial barriers when trying to fund their humanitarian efforts in Iraq, they became hopeful that selling the shoes might boost the struggling local economy as well as contribute toward relief efforts. With the business up and running, Fisher and Courtney are using as much of the proceeds as they can (and 100% of the profits) to help Iraqi children in need of heart surgery. Iraq has one of the highest percentages of heart disease among children, with many dying each week from causes that could easily be addressed by access to the proper medical care. The two are working with an organization called Shevet Achim to send the children to Israel for Cody Fisher ’06 is a native of Buellton, California. During his time at Cedarville, he was involved in numerous organizations and ministries, including Discipleship Council, Intercollegiate Council, Elijah’s Fire, Student Government Association, and the Hurricane Katrina relief team. He also served as a resident assistant and an MIS leader. the surgeries they need. Recently, Buy Shoes. Save Lives. was able to raise enough money to help fund its first heart surgery for a young boy named Aras. Fisher can’t wait to visit his village and tell him the good news. The men behind Buy Shoes. Save Lives. believe that their mission is close to the heart of God. “We want to put these children in the hands of skilled doctors, but ultimately they are in the hands of their Creator,” Fisher relates. “This is all about God’s glory, and when we’re working on behalf of these children we feel His pleasure.” Fisher credits his time at Cedarville for helping to prepare him for the work God has laid on his heart. “Cedarville was a place where God met me in so many ways and through so many people,” he says. “I was fed and pushed to grow spiritually in ways that I never imagined.” Dr. Jeff Cook’s Urban Ministry class also made a big impression on him. “It was a class where I had to take all this knowledge of God I had crammed in my head and apply it to the poor and neglected,” Fisher explains. “I believe that if Jesus were here today, he’d be somewhere in Iraq. He always had the habit of showing up in the places where nobody else wanted to go. That’s why I’m here.” Learn more: www.buyshoessavelives.com