New Shoes Bring Joy and Fitness
by Jon Lugbill
I can still remember when I was in the 4th grade and got a new pair of tennis shoes (that’s what we called anything that wasn’t a dress shoe). They had these orange sides and made me feel like I could run like the wind. I remember going outside and racing around the front yard—sort of like our puppy Sally when she is not on the leash. The joy of new shoes raised my running speed to a new level.
Unfortunately, that feeling of racing around in new shoes isn’t an experience afforded to everyone in our community. When we first started our expansion of the Kids Run RVA program to Title I schools, we learned that many kids in the most trying circumstances just don’t get new shoes, let alone running shoes.
As a result, we started a program called Kicks for Kids to provide shoes for local kids who are running but have lousy sneakers on. Last fall we raised the funds to give away 100 pairs of shoes to area kids. Our expanded kids running clubs at local elementary and middle schools have been growing substantially this year. We are now reaching more kids, especially those who are in very challenging circumstances. Consequently, this spring, we need to raise enough money to buy 80 pairs of shoes for kids in our running clubs around the region who can’t afford them.
Please consider donating $1, $5, $10, whatever you can, to help us put new shoes on kids’ feet. Our goal is to raise enough money ($4,000) to purchase 80 pairs of new shoes for kids running at the Virginia529 Kids Run, the partner youth race to the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k. You can also help us by encouraging others to join in donating.
Last week Jacki Quinlan on our staff told me the story of one child whose family lives in a trailer home and attends one of our running clubs. He runs with shoes passed down to him from his older brother, and the beat up old sneakers are three sizes too big. He still shows up and runs even with his shoes flapping away. We can do better than this. Help bring the joy of new running shoes to this little guy and the many other deserving children in our community.