Hundreds of kids at a Northeast D.C. elementary school couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces as they had to choose between pairs of Nikes. Each pair was carefully measured and fit for the happy young students.
“They look nice. I never had a pair of these, my first time,” said Kingston Cook, a fifth grader at Miner Elementary School who just got a new pair of gray Nikes.
“I was actually pretty happy because I get shoes, but only for Christmas and stuff,” he told WTOP.
Cook was one of around 450 kids who got free shoes Tuesday through Nordstrom and the nonprofit Shoes That Fit.
“We make sure that every child is measured and that they get a pair of shoes that fit them, even if we have to go out somewhere else to find special shoes,” said Shoes That Fit CEO Amy Fass.
In years past when they visited middle and high schools, they’ve even had to go out and find shoes sizing up to 20 and 22. The largest size a student needed at Miner though was a men’s 12.
Fass said shoes are some of the most expensive items for growing feet. Miner Elementary School Principal Carrie Broquard agreed and said the shoe event Tuesday morning takes a lot off parents’ already-full plate.
“Parents are thrilled,” she said. “They’re amazed. It sounds too good to be true. They are really, really grateful.”
Broquard said the second-graders were so grateful that they all wrote individual ‘thank you’ notes to all of the volunteers who came from Nordstrom to help measure and fit their new Nikes.
One volunteer, Melissa Rivas, shared a letter with WTOP and said the experience was wonderful.
“It means a lot to be doing this for the kids,” Rivas said. “Seeing their smile, and jumping around and matching shoes with their friends.”
“I think it really is a statement to the kids that they matter, that they’re important, and we really think they are, because we know that they’re our future,” added Fass.
[custom_gallery]