Soul to Sole a great program for area youth

BOUQUETS >> To Soul to Sole, the nonprofit organization that supports youth, for donating sneakers to dozens of youngsters Oct. 15 at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lorain County Desich Family Campus.

More than 100 youngsters patiently waited in line to receive the Nike sneakers at the campus, 4111 Pearl Ave. in Lorain.

Soul to Sole, which was created in 2007, plans to donate about 900 pairs of shoes to youth across Lorain County through giveaways at Boys and Girls Clubs locations.

Founders Lori Campana and her sister-in-law Laurie Bove said the organization has given out more than 22,000 pairs of shoes to youngsters between the ages of 6 and 18.

Campana said, “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.”

She said new shoes give youth the self-confidence that every one of them should have going into school.

Soul to Sole raises about $60,000 to $65,000 year, and Campana thanked the Boys and Girls Clubs for its partnership along with the donors in Lorain and Cuyahoga counties for their contributions.

Campana said, “We love partnering with the Boys and Girls Club(s) because there is such a need and they fill the void that sometimes their parents can’t do. We couldn’t do this without our donors in Lorain County and Cuyahoga County.”

We commend Soul to Sole, and its donors, for providing youth with shoes they can wear during school and while playing.

BOUQUETS >> To Christen Schneid, the Vermilion High School art teacher who won the Northeast Region’s Outstanding Art Teacher Award.

Schneid’s commitment to her students and multi-faceted nature landed her the prestigious honor.

She will receive the award at 6 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Kalahari Convention Center, 7000 Kalahari Drive in Sandusky.

Schneid said she was shocked and surprised when she learned she was a recipient of the award.

Schneid said, “My mom was like the biggest advocate of my art. When I was little, she would just praise it and love it, and that kind of helped me to have more of a drive and desire to keep going with art.”

Now, Schneid is in her 11th year at Vermilion. She also taught for three years in Lorain and one year in Parma.

Schneid teaches six art classes, along with introduction to film and photography and advanced film and photography.

We congratulate Schneid on this great recognition and her dedication to teaching art.

BRICKBATS >> To Christopher Goodin, the 33-year-old Elyria man who federal authorities say coerced a 12-year-old girl into sending him nude photos of herself.

Authorities charged Goodin with receiving and distributing child pornography, according to a release from the FBI.

The FBI said agents arrested Goodin on Oct. 10 after a federal search warrant was executed at his residence.

The federal complaint said Goodin posed as a 12-year-old girl on the Internet and enticed an actual 12-year-old girl to send him nude and sexually explicit photos of herself.

Goodin continued the online relationship with the girl, coercing and threatening her in order to receive additional pornographic images of a minor, the release said.

A review of Goodin’s cell phone revealed nude and sexually explicit photos of the 12-year-old, along with numerous videos and images, possibly additional child pornography, authorities said.

The FBI said it will examine additional photos and videos to determine if they meet criteria for child pornography.

Goodin is innocent until proven guilty.

Again, we’re scratching our heads on this one. Child porn is illegal. Period. When will people get it?

BRICKBATS >> To the crooks who used a telephone scam earlier this month to steal $7,000 from a 91-year-old Bay Village woman.

Police say the woman received a call claiming her grandson was in jail and needed money to get out.

A second phone call purported to be from the grandson’s attorney instructed the victim to write a check for $7,000 and cash it at her local bank branch.

The woman then took the money to an Office Depot and mailed it via FedEx to an address in New Jersey.

The fraud was discovered the following day after speaking with her son-in-law.

Unfortunately, these perpetrators are committing similar scams far too often, especially against the elderly.

Families must educate their older relatives to these crimes.

Enough is enough.