(by Don Meador, November 16, 2021)
The images tell the story.
A middle school student opens a shoebox to see a new pair of pink tennis shoes. A smile breaks out on her freckled face as a “wow” comes from her mouth. A pair of young men from the high school spend countless minutes looking over name-brand basketball shoes prior to making their selections. Another high school student ties the laces on his fresh sneakers and quickly places his old worn and dirty shoes in a box---retiring the old pair now replaced with a new look. Two wide-eyed Primary Center students struggle to make their choice from rows and rows of shoe boxes stacked high.
For approximately 300 students across the Allen County School District, learning facts and figures, spelling words, fractions, scientific functions and the like was placed on the back-burner for a few minutes on Tuesday, November 16. The kids----from kindergarten to seniors----were given the opportunity to choose a new pair of shoes and learn generously and kindness through the process.
For several years, the Family and Youth Service Centers in the Allen County School District have collaborated on a project to help needy families receive new shoes for their children. This year, a generous $10,000 gift enabled FRYSC officials to arrange an enhanced shoe giveaway that would impact dozens of kids across the district.
On Tuesday, November 16, employees from Shoe Sensation of Glasgow trucked hundreds of name brand shoes to Patriot Stadium for the giveaway. Selected students were allowed time to pick out their new shoes from a wide variety of selections. Shoe Sensation employees from multiple locations across southcentral Kentucky helped FRYSC coordinators measure feet, check toe placements, and help the kids find their perfect pair of shoes.
“We are so thankful to our anonymous donor for helping 300 kids get new shoes in our annual giveaway,” noted Rhonda Kircher, Family Resource Center Coordinator for the Allen County Primary Center and the Allen County Intermediate Center. “We are also grateful for Shoe Sensation to be so kind to set up and let the kids pick out their own shoes this year. We will make sure the shoes fit and give them three pairs of new socks and then send them back to class.”
Hannah Marsh, Youth Service Center coordinator for the James E. Bazzell Middle School and Allen County-Scottsville High School, and FRYSC assistants Amy Pitchford (Allen County Primary Center) and Angel Clark (James E. Bazzell Middle School) assisted with the project.