The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Soul to Sole gives away new shoes to kids
Soul to Sole hands out new shoes to youth
Dozens of Lorain youngsters experienced the thrill of breaking in a new pair of sneakers on Oct. 15 at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lorain County Desich Family Campus.
More than 100 neatly stacked boxes of Nike sneakers were sitting and waiting for the opportunity to be given to their new owners, eliciting enthusiasm from kids.
The campaign is part of Soul to Sole’s annual shoe giveaway, for the non-profit organization supporting area youth
Soul to Sole is expected to donate about 900 pairs to youth across Lorain County holding shoe giveaways at Boys and Girls Clubs locations in continuing their efforts.
Founded in 2007 by Lori Campana along with her sister-in-law Laurie Bove, the organization has given out more than 22,000 pairs of shoes to kids between the ages of six and 18.
“We just started because I loved getting school shoes when I was a little kid and then I saw there’s such a need in our community to provide a basic need which is shoes for school or playing, and we want the kids to feel good when they’re walking,” Campana said.
“We feel that nice new shoes give them self-confidence that every kid should have going into school,” she added.
The organization raises about $60-65,000 each year and Campana thanked the Boys and Girls Clubs or for their partnership along with their donors in Lorain and Cuyahoga counties for enabling the giveaways.
“We love partnering with the Boys and Girls Club because there is such a need and they fill the void that sometimes their parents can’t do,” Campana said.
“We couldn’t do this without our donors in Lorain County and Cuyahoga County.”