SBMS students donate shoes for others

Sunday, 29 April 2012 by Matthew Girard

South Belton Middle School students show off their brightly colored socks on Tuesday during the student council-sponsored “One Day Without Shoes” shoe donation campaign. Students were allowed to wear socks for the day by bringing in a pair of donated shoes.There were a few students who came home with their socks a little dirtier than usual on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, numerous South Belton Middle School students went shoeless for the day to help other kids in the community and to help raise awareness of the millions of children world-wide who contract disease and injury because they have no shoes during the national "One Day Without Shoes" day event sponsored by Tom's Shoes.

As students entered the school, they brought a pair of their own shoes to donate to the cause in return for getting the chance to spend the day in just their socks.

"It might not seem like it's something big that you are doing, but it might end up saving someone's life," eighth grader Bethany Goad said.

From "toe socks" to short socks to long socks to caped socks, students and teachers also joined soldiers from Fort Hood, who donated their combat boots, in helping raise awareness.

Eighth grader Josh Stegall, who was wearing a pair of blue socks with the Superman "S" and a cape attached to the back, said he was proud to see other students wearing socks.

Soldiers from Fort Hood also participated in the shoe donation event by donating their combat boots."It's been really cool because every person you see wearing socks, that's a person that donated a pair (of shoes) who wouldn't have had them otherwise," Stegall said. "Going without shoes is not something that you think about much, but there are people that do this (walk around with no shoes) their whole life."

The idea to participate in the national event came from the SBMS Student Council.

Student Council Sponsor Sarah James said the donated shoes will serve the children of Belton.

"The shoes that were donated will first serve our community and it gave every kid on campus an opportunity to participate on a global-impact type project," James said. "Several of them wear Tom's shoes and understand that for every pair you buy, a pair gets donated."

Every pair of Tom's Shoes sold, a child in need receives a new pair of shoes.

James said more than 300 pairs of shoes were collected during the event.

"We really wanted the kids here, in this school, to have a project where they all could feel like they could contribute," James said.

Soldiers from Fort Hood joined South Belton Middle School students by donating shoes for the “One Day Without Shoes” donation event. Students donated more than 300 pairs of shoes.Students riding the bus and wanting to donate were instructed to bring a pair of shoes to put into their bookbag for the ride home after school.

James said although she was behind the cause, she didn't know if she could make it through the day without wearing her shoes.

"It's kind of painful on tile floors, but for the kids it's really fun," James said.

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