A junior at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona, is single-handedly raising the bar for teenagers all over the world thanks to his mission to help children in need.
Sam Bregman has been working tirelessly for the past eight months to raise $15,000 and provide over 450 pairs of shoes and several pairs of socks to every single student at the nearby Galveston Elementary School. The day he has been anxiously awaiting finally became a reality this month!
“I’m just so excited to finally be able to hand the students their shoes and socks,” Sam told FOX 10. “I have put months and months and months of work into this and seeing this all come to fruition is extremely exciting.”
It all began five years ago when Sam started his own side business reselling limited edition clothes and sneakers. He began to realize just how much of an impact shoes can have on people’s lives.
Then, during his freshman year, his math class “adopted” a family for the holidays, and one of the sons asked for a new pair of tennis shoes. Sam and his classmates immediately decided to pull together enough money to buy the little boy a pair of Nike React Element 87s.
“Doing that made me so happy,” Sam said. So, the 16-year-old figured, why not do something like that on a larger scale and help an entire school? That’s what led him to Shoes That Fit.
Shoes That Fit is a nonprofit that seeks to outfit students all over America with new athletic shoes that make them feel proud, cared for, and ready to take on the world! With Sam’s help, they’ve done just that.
As the shoes were being distributed to the elementary school, the students were overwhelmed. One boy reacted by telling AZ Family, “These are my only pair of shoes, and now I have two pairs!”
“These students are in a lower socioeconomic area, so shoes are something that can relieve financial burden sometimes and just put a smile on everyone’s face,” Sam said.
He added, “I had a little trouble sleeping last night I was so excited!”
Sam put his whole heart and soul into this project, all while battling his own condition called postural tachycardia syndrome. POTS can cause an abnormal increase in heart rate, leading to dizziness and fainting.
“It’s definitely been a challenge,” Sam said, “but this project has truly been a blessing for me, and it’s given me something to always look forward to and something to help spread hope and kindness throughout the community.”
Best of all, the teen has no intention of stopping. He put together his own ongoing campaign and hopes to raise enough funds to do this all over again for a second school.
All the people in Sam’s life are incredibly proud of him and honored to be part of what he’s doing.
The principal of Galveston Elementary, Annette Addair, said, “I am just overwhelmed… you know, it restores your faith in humanity for sure.”
It sure does! Visit Sam’s fundraiser link to support his project, and be sure to share this inspiring story of generosity and kindness with a friend.
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