Many teenagers may not know the shipping costs to Africa.

But Liz Earls and friends Chantal Elmore and Taylor Roeck are not only aware of the price, the West Forsyth High School students are also doing their best to collect $5,000 to send 10,000 pairs of gently used shoes there.

Earls started LovethruShoes, an organization that works to collect and ship shoes to help Africans in need.

It was on a mission trip to Africa over the summer that Earls first learned of the need for shoes.

"We were there to hand out shoes and wash the children’s feet," she said. "There was a little girl there that fell on the ground crying and she was just really upset that she didn’t get shoes.

"I just felt I should start an organization to give shoes to kids in Africa."

To date, the organization has collected more than 1,000 pairs of shoes from Forsyth County residents, thanks in part to a drive organized by the school’s DECA chapter.

"In DECA you compete in events and our event this year was community service," she said. "I presented what I wanted to do … and they have taken this idea and done shoe drives."

The club is also holding a shoe fashion show Saturday in the parking lot of Totally Running.

Elmore said the group came up with a "bunch of random ideas" before deciding on a fashion show.

"We wanted to do something that focused on shoes and to try to get the community involved," she said.

The goal is to raise enough money and collect enough footwear to send a crate of 10,000 shoes by the end of 2012.