Shoes. They hug our feet, keep them warm, protect them, or for the people around us, protect us from them.
Shoes are everywhere. Likely speaking, you own a pair of shoes. But not everyone is as fortunate.
This is what the track team and Changing Footprints, a state-wide charity, aim to change through the annual Shoe Drive in February, and this year there’s a special twist.
Homestead’s track team will also be organizing a shoe drive, and it will be a competition between the two rivals to see which school can raise the most shoes for the same cause.
Whether in the Commons, the Freshman Center, or the cafeteria, students are likely to spot the bins with Shoe Drive signs on them. If missed, students likely won’t miss the countless bright colorful posters along the walls.
If students don’t see those either, they surely won’t miss the daily announcements encouraging you to donate shoes. For the track team, this fundraiser isn’t something to push aside. It’s their way of showing the track team goes beyond just running around an oval.
Hadley Snell, who founded the annual shoe drive, says she hopes the drive helps students “realize the power they have to initiate positive movements in their community.”
This can be seen through the success of the annual shoe drive, as over the past four years the school has raised over 1,000 pairs of shoes.
Cheryl Brockman, Changing Footprints Volunteer Coordinator, says that it’s the school drives that are most impactful because it highlights the needs of others.
“We live in a thriving community and we often don’t even consider there are others in need in our area,” Brockman said.
And Snell couldn’t agree more, she hopes people will be inspired to find ways to give back to their community again.
“I think there’s something special about spending your resources or time in order to help out other people,” Snell said.
This idea spread throughout the Track team as the shoe drive progressed, and by the end of the first drive, the team realized how much team effort and commitment were needed too achieve success in the first drive.
“I think we all felt very accomplished when we were able to load all those bags of shoes into the truck for Changing Footprints,” Snell said.
This is part of Snell’s vision for how the shoe drive impacts those around her.
“I hope that it serves as a way to bring together the track team. Team culture is a big part of any sport, and giving back to the community is a great way to feel closer to the people around you,” she said.
Each morning, a group of students meet in Coach Luke Miller’s room to sort the shoes. Miller says he doesn’t do much but provide the space, but says he likes how both parties benefit from this.
“The donations simply come from people’s closets and it really helps them because they are often shoes that are just taking up space,” Miller said.
Snell had a similar answer saying she chose the shoe drive because of her passion for running.
“I’d always thought it would be fun to host some type of charity drive, but I decided to do a shoe drive because it combined my love of running with giving back to the community,” said Snell.
The track team has separated itself from the pack of other Carroll teams as the only to host a school-wide fundraiser. But, what’s next?
“Maybe it could expand to more than just shoes, or maybe more businesses or organizations could get involved to help make it a larger event,” said Snell.
The team is taking these steps by making a two-school event with Homestead.
The annual shoe drive is the track team’s way of stepping up and giving back to the community, while also creating a stronger team environment.
“All those shoes are symbols of so many people,” Snell said. “Each individually took the time to give back to a greater cause.”
