Shoes News - Shoes That Fit

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Shoes
That
Fit®
J. Michael Fay
Secretary/Treasurer
Charles W. Freitas
Stephen J. Horoshak
Evie Lazzarino
Lucia Miltenberger
Patti Salwak
Shoes News
A
N E W S L E T T E R
S H O E S
T H A T
F O R
F I T
To u c h i n g t h e l i v e s o f s c h o o l c h i l d r e n i n n e e d s i n c e 1 9 9 2
Vice-President
This issue of Shoes News made possible by a generous donation from Claremont Print and Copy
SPRING 2004
John Schack
President
New Jersey fourth-graders
send hope across the country
RETIRED FOUNDER
Elodie McGuirk
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Michele Love
STAFF
Roni Lomeli
Executive Director
Michelle Siegel
Shoes That Fit is a perfect
choice. Groups of any age
can adopt a school in their
community or hold a shoe
and clothing drive like the
Oak Knoll kids did.
Development Director
Lee Kane
Program Manager
Amanda Sloan
The Shoes That Fit program
can accommodate any size
group from a small afterschool club to an entire
school.
Technical Administrative
Manager
Deanna Glick Lacques
Program Coordinator
Newsletter Editor
PUBLISHED BY:
Shoes That Fit
For your convenience, you can
reach us in many ways . . .
Phone:
(909) 482-0050
Toll Free: (888) 715-4333
Fax:
(909) 482-0085
Email: info@shoesthatfit.org
Address all correspondence to:
Shoes That Fit
1420 N. Claremont Blvd.
Suite 107B
Claremont, CA 91711-3583
We take Credit Cards . . .
to make it easier for you to
support our efforts.
Call or visit our website to donate
www.shoesthatfit.org
Do you know students who
would like to be involved
in a community service
project?
Shoes That Fit ®
1420 N. Claremont Blvd.
Suite 107B
Claremont, CA 91711-3400
W
hen Lucy Reemus showed her students the Wish List in the
Shoes That Fit newsletter, the fourth-graders couldn’t believe
their eyes. How was it possible that kids didn’t have socks or
coats—or underwear?
NON PROFIT
US POSTAGE
PAID
CLAREMONT CA
PERMIT NO. 43
“That really hit home with the kids,” Lucy said. The students from Oak
Knoll School, a Catholic school in Summit, New Jersey, come from mostly affluent families. Not having underwear was beyond their comprehension, but not beyond their ability to care.
The students wrote a letter that was distributed throughout the school
pleading for donations. Every morning, the students collected contributions from other classes; they collected more than 800 items—boots,
scarves, hats, mittens, shoes, socks, and a lot of underwear. Many included notes to the children they were helping.
“I hope you can use the boots and I hope you have a Merry Christmas,”
wrote one girl.
For more information on
how to get involved, call us
toll free at (888) 715-4333
or email us at
info@shoesthatfit.org.
Our Mission
The mission of
Shoes That Fit is to
help build the
self-esteem of school-
The Shoes That Fit staff repackaged the items and distributed them to
some of our largest—and coldest—chapters across the country.
children in need by
“It always warms our hearts when children show so much compassion
toward other children,” said Roni Lomeli, Executive Director of Shoes That
Fit. “These students didn’t just send socks and mittens. They sent hope.”
providing them with
new shoes and clothes.
From the
Executive Director
Thank you,
Nordstrom!
Nordstrom continues to support
Shoes That Fit in a big way,
thanks to the help of Brooke
White, Michelle Love, Tracy
Zoberis, Keith Smith, Raynette
Yoshida and Anne Gittinger.
Because of their support of
money, shoes and clothing for
children in need, Nordstrom has
played a significant role in the
program’s tremendous growth
over the past three years, from
232 sites to our current 600
chapters nationwide.
E-mail
us!
A
s part of our ongoing
effort to increase communications with our
donors and volunteers, Shoes
That Fit would like to increase
the use of e-mail to send and
receive information quickly and
inexpensively. Please send an
email to info@shoesthatfit.org
so that we can ensure your
address is included in our database!
T
he winter holidays were a hectic but
wonderful time here at the Shoes That
Fit office. We were inundated by hundreds of requests from local school districts
and we were truly concerned that we would
have to let kids down because the demand was
so great. Yet time and again individuals and
organizations came through and, in the end, every child who needed
shoes or clothes got what they needed just in time for the holidays.
Our office was bursting at the seams with donated shoes and clothes all
dressed up in bright holiday gift bags and wrapping. Many donors chose
to add in a special gift—makeup kits for older girls, Hot Wheels for
younger boys, an extra set of dressy shoes or clothes. The generosity and
spirit of the season literally surrounded us.
Good for
the sole
OUR LIFELINES
W e want to thank the following business and foundation
supporters who have recently helped Shoes That Fit make
a difference in the lives of so many children in need:
• The Ahmanson Foundation through the
Music Center and Stephen Rountree
• American Foundation for Courtesy & Grooming
• Change a Life Foundation
• Employees Community Fund of Boeing, California
• Finish Line Youth Foundation
• KTLA 5 Charities Fund
• Looker Foundation, Rob Looker Discretionary Fund
• Max Factor Family Foundation
Foothill Country Day School and The Seedling Preschool in Claremont,
California donated 240 pairs of shoes to kids at nearby schools. The
drive was led by eighth-grader Andrew Kunce, with help from Dr.
Lorane Dick, whose daughters attend the school. The recipient schools
were overwhelmed by the generosity.
• The Men’s Wearhouse
• Northrop Grumman Corp.
• Northrop Grumman ECHO
• Ontario Community Foundation
Employees at The Inland Valley Humane Society in Pomona, California;
Southern California Edison, Washington Mutual Bank, Macy’s, and
many individuals kept calling and asking for more names until no child
who needed shoes went without. In all, more than 600 items were
donated through our office during the holiday season alone.
• Pfaffinger Foundation
But it wasn’t just a local phenomenon. From Delaware to Colorado,
from New Jersey to Texas, our Shoes That Fit volunteers and donors
made the holidays brighter for children and their families across the
country who faced a bleak season indeed. Read their stories throughout
this edition of Shoes News. Also in this issue, we are recognizing Connie
Rau, our volunteer in Flint, Michigan, for her amazing contributions last
year.
• Weingart Foundation
We are happy to report that the spirit of giving and volunteerism has
carried over into the New Year as well. Since January, Shoes That Fit has
added more than 30 additional sites, bringing the total number of chapters to nearly 600 across the country.
Thanks to all of you who made a difference over the holidays and lend
support year round.
Belinda Sandoval at Monterey
Elementary in San Bernardino,
California is one of those.
“When I began handing out
the shoes to the children, they
were so excited,” Belinda said
after receiving a donation of
shoes from Change A Life
Foundation. “They were
jumping up and down.
We’re in a very economically
poor area, and many of the
children didn’t even have
socks, but they still couldn’t
wait to put the shoes on.
I just broke down.”
• Newman’s Own Foundation
“Thank you so much for my new shoes,” wrote one little girl. “They are
beautiful. These shoes were the only Christmas (gift) I had this year.”
Many of those who measure
children for new shoes from
Shoes That Fit are health aids
in public schools. Even though
they see schoolchildren day
after day, they are often
moved to see how a simple
pair of shoes can transform
a child.
• Pat Boone Foundation
• Sidney Stern Memorial Trust
• Swanton Foundation
• Tiger Woods Foundation
• Ziv Tzedakah Fund, Inc.
We need your help! While we depend on these foundations
to sustain our programs and help open new school sites across
the nation, every donation from our loyal supporters counts.
We need your gifts to sustain us and help us grow, so we can
reach more children every year. Please visit our website,
www.shoesthatfit.org, where we will honor each donor who
has helped to make a difference in a child’s life by supporting
the work of Shoes That Fit.
Roni Lomeli, Executive Director
2
Shoes That Fit SPRING 2004
SPRING 2004 Shoes That Fit
7
Lockheed
Martin Vault
Systems
—the Santas of
Lufkin, Texas
By Tonja Akridge,
Make
Shoes That Fit
part of your
legacy
Liaison for Lufkin
Independent School District
D
If you believe in the mission of
Shoes That Fit and want to help
ensure that we continue to help
more children in need, please
consider a gift that will extend
ecember was becoming a bleak month in
Lufkin, Texas, as
many families received notice of massive layoffs and company
shutdowns. But our sponsors at Lockheed Martin Vault Systems
would not let the holidays be a disappointment for the children
of the Lufkin Independent School District. Spearheaded by
Babbette Schmidt, our Shoes That Fit coordinator at Lockheed
Martin, volunteers from throughout the company provided
new clothes, shoes and toys for 100 children, brightening their
holidays and showing them that people care.
As I measured one little boy who’s parents were struggling to
provide his basic needs, I told him that Santa was going to bring
him a present. “There is no such thing as Santa,” he said sadly.
I told him to wait and see. When he received his gifts, he shouted, “I believe! I believe!”
beyond your lifetime. A few of
the ways that you can make
Shoes That Fit part of your
legacy are:
The caring folks at Lockheed Martin helped ease the burden of
many parents who had been laid off and thought they couldn’t
provide Christmas gifts for their families this year. I wish
Babbette and her coworkers could have seen the tears of gratitude on the parents’ faces or the bright smiles of excitement
the children wore. They truly are the Santas of Lufkin, Texas.
• Remember Shoes That Fit
in your will or trust.
• Make Shoes That Fit a
beneficiary of your
retirement plan.
• Bequest property to
Shoes That Fit.
Good Sole
. . . Miracles in Michigan
W
hen a fire left two families and their seven children homeless
in Flint, Michigan last winter, the children’s teachers knew just
who to call— Connie Rau and her team of Shoes That Fit volunteers and sponsors.
Last year, Connie’s chapter provided more than 1,100 pairs of shoes,
10,000 pairs of socks, and 1,500 hats and gloves to children. Connie
and her team know that new shoes and socks impact more than just a
child’s feet.
“I’ve never had new
shoes before,” one of
the boys from the fire
told Connie. “I just
don’t know what to
say.”
WISH LIST
W
e always need new
shoes and clothes for
emergency requests for
elementary age children. If you can
supplement your regular shopping
with a new item or two, please
consider our list of needs!
Another youngster trotted down the hall,
smiled, and shouted
back to her, “Man, my
feet feel so light!”
< Boys’ and girls’ new athletic
shoes, sizes youth 10 through
adult size 9.
Since her debut as a
Shoes That Fit volunteer
in 2000, Connie’s site has
helped more than 36,500
children in Flint, winning
the Outstanding Business
2003 Children’s Champion Award. Connie credits volunteers who help sort
and deliver the items and her sponsors—Genesys Regional Medical Center,
McLaren Regional Medical Center, and Hurley Medical Center—with her
chapter’s success.
+
i Underwear
< Uniform clothing for school:
navy blue pants or jeans,
and skirts, white shirts or
blouses with collars.
She also praises Payless Shoesource. Payless not only gives her great
deals on new shoes, but the regional manager and the Flint store
manager rented a truck to deliver 10,000 pairs of socks Connie and her
team had requested and donated an additional 100 pairs of socks for
each of the nearly 40 schools Connie’s chapter helps.
+
“I’m always amazed at the number of people who want to help once
they know about a situation,” Connie says. “It’s just overwhelming.”
i Winter coats, boots,
Assorted clothing for school:
pants or jeans, knit shirts,
sweaters, and hooded
sweatshirts.
rainwear, umbrellas, mittens
and hats.
Your gift would ensure that we
< Target, Payless, WalMart,
continue to help more children
and any other major retailer
gift cards.
in need.
For more information, please
contact Roni Lomeli, Executive
Director, in the Shoes That Fit
office at (888) 715-4333, or email
her at roni@shoesthatfit.org.
6
Socks for shoe sizes youth
10 through adult size 9.
Shoes That Fit SPRING 2004
We are always on the lookout for
businesses and service organizations,
wishing to sponsor a local school in
their community. Please contact us if
you know of a group interested in
participating!
SPRING 2004 Shoes That Fit
3
Kids Say It Best!
Matching gifts make
your donations grow
D
oes your employer offer a
One of the joys of a Shoes That Fit delivery is to
watch the children’s faces and see their sincere
appreciation for that new pair of shoes or warm
coat. Many students send us thank you notes.
If you have received one that has especially
touched your heart, please send us a copy
so we can share it.
Beyond the call of duty
It was three days before Christmas and Jackie Trask thought she
was done with her holiday shopping.
After all, she had just delivered shoes, socks, coats, hats, gloves,
pants and shirts to 50 children at Carl Benner School in Coatsville,
Pennsylvania—double the number she had helped last winter. But
then, the weather turned bitter and the phone rang. Another
school had an urgent need for warm coats for 25 children.
Jackie and her co-workers at Acme Markets quickly found
coats, hats and gloves for each child
and Acme Markets even threw in a
turkey dinner for each of the children’s
families. Before she could settle down
and begin preparing for her own
family’s holiday, the phone rang
again—another school requested
holiday dinners for 25 families in need.
Acme Markets came through again and
provided turkey dinners to those families
as well. But the rush wasn’t over yet.
A short while later, a local women’s shelter called—
16 little ones were facing a Christmas without any gifts. Jackie
held a raffle at the Acme Markets luncheon the next day. The
employees raised enough money to buy toys for the children as
well as shoes and coats for the moms.
Jackie and Acme Markets provided more than 600 items last fall
and winter—nearly triple what they had done the year before.
So what is Jackie doing now that the holiday season is behind her?
“I’m looking forward to spring,” she says. “After all, the kids need
sneakers for summer, don’t they?”
matching gift program?
Many companies will match a
portion of your donation to Shoes
Make your gift a lasting memory
That Fit. When Robert Johnson
sent us $100, his employer, Pfizer,
Have you already forgotten what you received for the holidays or
your last birthday? Is the sweater too tight or the tie too gaudy? Are
the toys already broken or the batteries dead? Why not make your
next gift a lasting and memorable one? Next time, make a gift donation to Shoes That Fit in honor of your loved ones. We’ll send them a
letter acknowledging your gift and a thank you note from a child. Or,
request that your loved ones send a donation to Shoes That Fit in lieu
of a gift to you. Either way, you’ll be providing new shoes and clothes
to children in need so that they can attend school in comfort and
with dignity. It’s a gift these children will never forget.
donated an additional $50. And
Microsoft doubled Daniel Snyder’s
$300 gift for a total contribution
of $600.
Contact your Human Resources
department today to find out if
you can multiply your gift to
Shoes That Fit with a matching
gift from your employer.
4
Shoes That Fit SPRING 2004
For more information about how to help, call the
Shoes That Fit office at (888) 715-4333
or visit our website at www.shoesthatfit.org.
Take the step
to be a Sole Mate
Our new Sole Mate program allows
you to make monthly donations
automatically through your debit or
credit card. No checks, no stamps, no
mailboxes. You decide how much
and how often you’d like to give
and we’ll automatically charge your
card on the date you choose. You
can stop these transactions at any
time. To honor a loved one with
your donation, just let us know and
we’ll send the appropriate acknowledgements. Shoes That Fit will have
a reliable cash flow each month and
you won’t have to risk forgetting
children who need your support.
Become a Shoes That Fit Sole Mate
today. Visit our web site at
www.shoesthatfit.org or call our
office at (909) 482-0050 or toll free
at (888) 715-4333.
One SWEET
Fundraiser
Two volunteers in
Highland Park, Illinois,
used a special day and some
kitchen creativity last fall to raise
more than $1,000 to benefit Shoes
That Fit kids.
Sharon Levine and Laura Larson
baked, packaged and sold cookies in
honor of Sweetest Day, observed on
the third Saturday of October. The
holiday originated in Cleveland in
1922 when Herbert Birch Kinston, a
philanthropist and candy company
employee, wanted to bring happiness
to orphans, shut-ins and others in
need. With the help of friends, he
distributed candy and gifts to the
underprivileged.
How sweet!
SPRING 2004 Shoes That Fit
5