Starting school on right foot – with new shoes for all at TES
Listerhill Foundation has announced that its next Kicks for Kids shoe drop will be at Tharptown Elementary School. The event will provide every child a pair of new brand-name athletic shoes and five pairs of Bombas socks.
“We are so excited to be able to bring this program to Tharptown,” said Listerhill President and CEO Brad Green. “The children of this community are greatly valued, and we want them to know how important they are. Their new shoes will get them off to a great start for this school year, and we look forward to seeing how much they achieve.”
Tharptown Elementary School Principal Dr. Karen Thorn, emphasizes how meaningful this will be to her students.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and value our students. They will definitely benefit by receiving new shoes and socks,” Thorn said. “Students and parents will be so excited and appreciative of the efforts and the donations that have been made on our students’ behalf.”
The shoe drop, which will take place next month, is in partnership with California-based Shoes That Fit, which, since its founding in 1992, has provided more than 2 million pairs of shoes to children across the US..
“Every time you have the opportunity to do something that helps children, that’s a wonderful thing,” said Thorn. “It’s exciting. It’s going to create such an excitement with our kids, something nice to look forward to that will make a difference in their lives.”
Others at Tharptown share Thorn’s sentiments.
“I think it’s a wonderful act of kindness,” said Heath Boyd, physical education teacher at TES. “Our students are so deserving of this wonderful opportunity. We wish to thank Listerhill and everyone involved in making this joyful experience a reality for our students.”
Listerhill Foundation Chair Sarah Evans highlighted the importance of community partnerships for the program’s continued success.
“We cannot do this alone. Our corporate sponsors and individual donors enable this program to happen, and for them we are so thankful,” Evans said. “Tharptown will be our largest shoe drop to date and the first for Franklin County. The fact that we have been able to fully fund shoes and socks for 500 children is a testament to the generosity of the community we all so love.”
Evans said Listerhill hopes to eventually take the Kicks for Kids program to all of the schools in all of its service areas.
“Our goal is to do one school per quarter,” Evans explained. “We work alongside recommendations from the local superintendent.
“We hope the kids will feel important and that it will give them a boost for the start of the school year,” she added. “We want them to know there are many people in the community that care about them.”
Donations can be made at www.listerhill.com/foundation. To find out more about corporate support, contact Evans at sevans@listerhill.com.
