KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Some of Kalamazoo’s most underprivileged kids will return to school this fall with new sneakers on their feet. They’ll have the opportunity to pick our their favorite pair, from out of four thousand, at a community shoe distribution event next week.
“It's funny, some of them will put the shoes on and they’ll start running to see how fast the shoes made them,” said John Curran, executive director of First Day Shoe Fund, a local non-profit organization. “It’s such a rewarding experience to be able to see the joy on these kids faces when they receive their new shoes.”
Curran said the shoe giveaway will be held at Maple Street Magnet School, from 2:30pm to 8pm. It's specifically for Kalamazoo Public School students, between pre-kindergarten and 5th grade, who are in the free and reduced lunch programs. Most of their families have received postcards about the event.
“The idea is we want to distribute new, never-worn athletic sneakers, so that the kids can wear them,” said Curran during an interview at the school. “Think gym-class appropriate. We want them to be able to use them for active games and activities.”
These events are important to the community, he said. It puts smiles on kids faces and on their parents' too.
“Back to school shopping gets expensive," said Curran. "If we could take one piece off the plate of that family, just try and get their child ready for school, we feel like we’ve made a difference.”
Curran said they’re scheduled to do shoe distributions this fall in Comstock, for kids pre-k though 4th grade, and WoodsEdge Learning Center. The organization's goal is to one day reach all of the county's neediest kids because they see the confidence it gives kids.
“It just helps their self-esteem,” said Curran. “We hear from parents that they can just tell the difference in their kids confidence when they put on that brand new pair of shoes and they feel so good about it.”
