According to the nonprofit Shoes That Fit, one in five children in the U.S. are experiencing poverty and “desperately” need new shoes.
The “majority” of the 500 students at John Ireland Elementary School in Dallas, Texas, are among them. That’s why one woman recently went above and beyond to make their lives a bit easier.
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Ashley Bosse Lubetkin grew up in Dallas. Although she relocated to New York as an adult, she still has strong ties to her childhood home and feels like part of the community. So when she heard about the students at John Ireland, she knew she had to do something.
Her solution was to encourage her friends, family members, and colleagues to donate to Shoes That Fit. The organization works to provide new shoes to children whose families can’t afford them.
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Altogether, Ashley helped raise $12,000, which was used to buy a brand new pair of shoes for almost every student at the Dallas school. Not only that, but Shoes That Fit also coordinated an event to reveal their gift.
“This is going to be incredibly amazing for our students,” Principal Stephanie Amaya said. “We’re going to call them down to the auditorium and talk to them about how hard they’ve been working, how much we love them, how much we care about them.”
Then they announced the wonderful news, and the kids could hardly contain their excitement!
Shoes That Fit
According to Shoes That Fit, children who receive new shoes “show increased self-esteem” and “report increased physical activity, improved behavior, and improved attendance.”
The kids’ responses at John Ireland told us everything we needed to know. “I wanted these for so long,” one student cried.
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Because of one person’s determination, 500 children’s lives have improved! What a powerful reminder that we can all make a difference.
Soak up the warmth of the students’ smiles in the video below, and share this story to spread the love.
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