GTSF recently visited an administrator at Hollingsworth Elementary School, who showed us a pair of student's camouflage, high-top sneakers of which the top canvas was completely separated from the bottom sole. She noted that this situation isn't unique in her school and she has sometimes spent days tracking down shoes for her kids in need.

 

And the principal at Vail Pittman Elementary School showed us a right sneaker with a half-dollar sized hole in the bottom and noted she had to purchase extra brooms to deal with the desert sand that her students emptied from their holey shoes each morning after arriving at school.

 

And, a teacher at Jay Jeffers Elementary recently told us about a student coming to school with the soles of his shoes literally taped to his feet.

 

How can a child in that state possibly focus on learning? How can that child actively participate in PE or recess? How can that child avoid the cruelty that often comes with such a visible sign of poverty? The consequences of living that way are far reaching - beyond the fact that lack of physical activity contributes to childhood obesity and shoes like that put the child at risk of being ridiculed and bullied -- the bottom-line is that these kids are being derailed in the classroom because they don't have something as simple as a properly fitting pair of shoes.

 

Our programming provides vital resources to at- risk youth. Our shoes, the simplest of necessities, help ensure that children are able to remain active in school, and having properly fitting footwear allows them to comfortably participate in all activities thus removing roadblocks to engagement in the classroom.

Please consider the Goodie Two Shoes Foundation when making your year-end contributions.  Remember, just $25 outfits a child in need with new shoes, socks, and perhaps most importantly, an experience to change a lifetime!