Heart & Sole keeps little feet warm

“I was watching children walking through the halls in shoes without good soles,” she recalled, expressing her concern for the children as winter approached. That moment prompted Cheryl Tillman, para-professional aide, to talk to school nurse Val Colburn and together, the two began Heart and Sole, a charitable organization to provide shoes and socks for students at Pea Ridge schools. The two ladies credit Randi Jo Hutchinson-Kelso, counselor at the high school, for the name.

“Randi Jo came up with that and I thought it was clever,” Tillman said.

Over the past six years, more than 1,200 children have received shoes and socks through Heart and Sole. Funds have come through various sources including Pea Ridge Optimist Club, Arvest Bank and personal donations. Over the years, there have been donations of socks from vendors and some retail stores have offered discounts when the two ladies show up buying dozens and dozens of pairs of shoes.

“Over the years, we’ve had children come back to us and ask if they’re going to get shoes again,” Tillman said.

“It’s not a Christmas gift, but we try to pass them out before Christmas break,” Colburn said.

Recipients range from kindergarten through high school, with Tillman specifically remembering a teen-aged boy who needed work boots to keep his job. She said Heart and Sole bought him work boots.

“Val and I make the trip in December,” Tillman said of the shopping expedition, but adds

that the cost of shoes has gone up. She said they were able to get shoes for $9 when they started and now most are at least $15.

The project funds are managed through the school. Donations may be made to Heart and Sole and dropped off at any of the schools or the administration building.

“We keep a paper trail. The money doesn’t go to us,” Colburn said.

“We’ve been blessed,” Colburn said, remembering an anonymous donor who gave two different donations this year totaling $1,000. “They said they had a good year and wanted to pass it on.”

Donations may be made out to Heart and Sole and mailed to Pea Ridge schools, 781 W. Pickens Road, Pea Ridge, AR 72751.