One Inland Empire nonprofit organization is helping children step more confidently into the future — literally.
Shoes That Fit is giving new athletic shoes to children in need. The gift of new shoes helps children attend school with dignity and joy, according to CEO Julie Stevens. It also helps prepare them to learn, play, and thrive.
“I love seeing the way that a kid’s face lights up when they get new shoes,” Stevens said. “A lot of the kids we serve have never had a brand-new pair of shoes before. They’ve only had hand-me downs or shoes from the thrift store, shoes that were never meant specifically for them from the beginning.”
Two Riverside elementary schools, Phillip M. Stokoe Elementary and Myra Linn Elementary and Ramona-Alessandro Elementary in San Bernardino were among the schools to recently receive shoes from Shoes That Fit.
“We were able to identify the children at those schools with the highest need,” Stevens said, praising school administrators, teachers, counselors, and school nurses. “They really helped us identify the kids that needed shoes the most. They know which kids are walking into school in the same clothes.”
They also may know which families are housing insecure.
“A lot of times these officials know the family’s situation, that perhaps they’re sleeping in their car,” Stevens said. “They know that sometimes this kid is getting bullied because of the way he looks, and this kid hates coming to school and sits in the corner and doesn’t socialize. And this kid wants to join a sports team but doesn’t have athletic shoes.”
“They know the kids best,” she said. “It’s been wonderful to go to these schools in areas of high poverty and identify the kids that need the shoes the most — we offer measuring kits and then the schools send us back lists of spreadsheets of the kids’ first names, their gender, and their shoe size.”
Claremont-based Shoes That Fit then ships those shoes directly to the schools.
“There’s something special in the way that the kids’ eyes light up and how important and special they feel,” Stevens said of the children receiving shoes. “Tons of kids and adults take something like shoes for granted, and we don’t think about how much it impacts children.”
A new pair of shoes can sometimes be a life-changing event for a child, in fact. In addition to better school attendance, enhanced self-esteem, and behavior, a new pair of shoes can also increase physical activity.
Moving into the fall season, Stevens points out several opportunities at the nonprofit’s shoe bank.
“We just opened a 16,000-square-foot shoe bank in San Bernardino County, and we’re always looking for volunteers and volunteer groups to come in and help us sort shoes or help in the warehouse,” she said.
And with children returning to school, Stevens feels this is an ideal time of year to raise awareness on the importance of children having proper shoes.
“There are a lot of kids who might show up with all new gear that their parents were fortunate enough to be able to get them, but there’s going to be kids showing up in clothes and shoes that were from last year,” she said. “They’re not going to be showing up with the same confidence and pride.”
“We’re on a mission to make sure that all those kids feel valued in the same way,” she said.
Learn more at shoesthatfit.org.
