Shoes That Fit Blog by category: Events

 With the unofficial kick-off to summer just a few days away, we wanted to update you on all the wonderful things our supporters are doing in the coming months to continue helping children in need receive new shoes. Many of our volunteer chapters around the country have been working tirelessly throughout the school year to ensure that children attend school in comfort and with dignity, better prepared to learn and play. With summer fast approaching, many of these same students will attend summer school and even begin the new school year in the fall wearing the same shoes they are wearing right now! Many of our supporters ask, 'What can I do to help?' Here are some simple and fun ways you can contribute to Shoes That Fit so mark your calendars now! 
 
Irwindale Chamber of Commerce hosting a shoe drive through June 13th. Each donation of a new pair of athletic shoes or $20 gift through the Chamber enters you in a drawing to win 'Beer For A Year' compliments of MillerCoors!
 
Online shopping through GoodSearch - It’s easy. Just pick a cause you care about (hopefully, Shoes That Fit!) Then, as you go about your daily online activities like searching or shopping, you’ll be raising money for our cause – at no cost to you! 
 
Join us in the Claremont Village (CA) June 29th for 'Blues & Brews' Craft Beer Walk & enjoy live music & delicious food at over 30 Village businesses! A portion of the proceeds from this event benefit Shoes That Fit!
 
The Hafif Family Foundation is once again hosting a series of Concerts Under the Stars & generously absorbing the entire cost of the event, leaving 100% of each $55 ticket donation to Shoes That Fit when purchased through us! Dates are: July 13, July 20 & August 10 - appetizers, dinner, drinks & live music on the breathtaking grounds of the Hafif Estate.  
 
If you're a runner, register for the annual Scheels Shoes That Fit 10K taking place August 24th in West Des Moines, IA. $5 of each registration fee donated to our volunteer chapter at OnMedia Ad Sales!
 
Are you hosting any parties this summer? Consider a party with a purpose - invite your guests to support Shoes That Fit by bringing a new pair of athletic shoes to donate to our emergency warehouse in CA or make a small contribution safely & securely online in honor of the host (that's you!)  
 
Coming soon: we are a finalist in DSW Shoe Lovers Care program, Leave Your Mark! You can help Shoes That Fit win $75,000 beginning June 6 through June 19! Simply vote for Shoes That Fit on DSW's Facebook page & share the news with your Facebook friends. Every vote counts!   
 
There are many ways for you to keep in touch with all the goings on at Shoes That Fit; Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, sign up for eNews or follow us on LinkedIn.
 
Thank you for believing as we do that every child deserves shoes that fit.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 With Daylight Savings time just a few days away, we are getting ready to kick off spring with the annual Spring For Shoes event! With the help of our sponsor, the Village Marketing Group, many participating merchants in the Claremont Village (CA) will give you the opportunity from March 8 through March 24 to help 125 local school children in need return from Spring Break in new shoes that fit!  
 
 Spring For Shoes is a yearly event coordinated by Village Marketing Group with the help participating merchants in downtown Claremont,  CA and the generosity of their customers and the local community. It's a simple way of helping kids in need return to school this spring in comfort and with dignity, ready to learn and play! 
 
 Here's how it works: 

• Beginning Friday March 8th, visit any participating merchant in the Claremont Village
• Check out a tote bag already complete with a child's first name, age & shoe size
• Fill the bag with a new pair of athletic shoes, socks & other goodies (suggested list of goodies in bag!)
• Return the tote bag to the merchant/store where you checked it out from by Sunday March 24th 
• Make a child in need very happy when they receive the tote bag YOU filled!

It's that easy! Thank You for helping a child in need receive shoes that fit!
p.s. While picking out your tote bag to fill, don't forget to pick up a little something extra for your loved ones or yourself. Lots of wonderful Village Merchants are participating!

• Aromatique Skin & Body Care - 319 W. First St. Suite A (909) 626-7422
• Buddhamouse Emporium - 134 Yale Ave (909) 626-3322
• Colors 91711 - 248 Harvard Ave (909) 624-6161
• Dr. Grubb's - 353 W. Bonita Ave (909) 621-6200
• Escape Salon - 250 W. First St. #146 (909) 399-3181
• Le Pain Quotidien - 175 N. Indian Hill Blvd., #103-AB (909) 625-1609
• Pita Pit - 1 N. Indian Hill Blvd., #104 (909) 624-3900
• Scarlett Closet - 254 W. Bonita Ave (909) 621-6100
• Sonja Stump Photography - 135 W. First St (909) 626-1147
• Stamp Your Heart Out - 131-C Harvard Ave (909) 621-4363
• The Bath Workshop - 175 N. Indian Hill Blvd., #100A (909) 625-3417
• The Green Gypsie - 526 W. First St (Packing House) (909) 621-4717

See You In The Village! 
 
 
 

Oh, how the year has raced by! Our 20th anniversary celebration is behind us and here we are at the start of the holiday season.

We are in the midst of our busiest time of year here at Shoes That Fit; children have settled into the new school year, and found their place among their fellow classmates. After the huge back-to-school push to get new shoes to children in need to start the school year off right, we are now facing the dilemma of how to help the children still in need of shoes this holiday season.

You already know how tough times are for so many struggling families. When faced with the choice of food on the table or a new pair of shoes for school - food has to prevail. These children just want to fit in and a new pair of shoes will help them do that, allowing a sigh of relief for the family and a smile on a happy child's face.

This holiday season, please consider making a gift of new shoes in honor of a loved one. We will send a card with a personalized message from you. Your gift in any amount is appreciated.

Our thanks to every one of you who put smiles on the faces of children in need by helping provide them with new shoes this holiday season.

Happy Holidays!

Although the dog days of summer are upon us, Shoes That Fit volunteers & supporters have been busy getting ready to help children in need return to school in comfort & with dignity!

Below is a recap of some amazing work being done by our generous supporters!
* Village Marketing Group’s annual Back To School campaign which provided 300 pairs of new shoes, socks , backpacks & school supplies to children in need in Southern California

* Volunteer group at OnMedia Ad Sales in Des Moines, IA held another successful charity golf tournament in support of their Shoes That Fit chapter

* Shoes That Fit corporate partner DaVita was praised by Forbes.com for their efforts to help children in need in communities where their employees live & work

* Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal financial organization has launched a facebook fan page campaign to generously donate $1 to Shoes That Fit for each new fan on their page

* Teen actor Sam Lant celebrated his 16th Birthday with a charity event in which he collected 136 pairs of new shoes in lieu of gifts (amazing!) for donation to Shoes That Fit’s Emergency Warehouse

* The Shoe Crew, a group of SoCal teens, held charity events throughout the summer which resulted in over 2,000 pairs of new shoes collected for children in need. Click here to read more about this amazing endeavor!

Help us win a new car to make an even bigger difference in the lives of children in need!

 
Shoes That Fit is proud to announce we’ve been selected as a finalist in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good Program. Now we need your support!
 
Tell your friends and vote for Shoes That Fit at www.100carsforgood.com on July 14, 2012. (You must be logged into your Facebook page to vote)

 
Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program will be awarding 100 vehicles to 100 nonprofits over the course of 100 days based on votes through Facebook from the public. A total of 500 nonprofits were selected from more than 4,000 applications nationwide.   
 
Thank You for your support of Shoes That Fit & the children we serve!

The Sneaker Ball gala in celebration of Shoes's That Fit's 20 Year anniversary & donation of 1 Million pairs of new shoes was great fun & we appreciate all who attended! A special thanks to Wayne Niemi of Footwear News for joining us & writing this wonderful article!

The Sneaker Ball is finally here & we want you to come celebrate with us! After lots of planning & preparation, we are puttng the finishes touches on our gala in celebration of Shoes That Fit's 20 Year Anniversary and donation of 1 Million pairs of new shoes. We'd love for you to join us April 21st at the historic Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, CA for an evening of fun, food, friends & laughter! You don't want to miss this once in a lifetime event in celebration of the many children helped by the Shoes That Fit program across the country.
 
The Sneaker Ball kicks off with a hosted cocktail reception, live entertainment, gourmet meal and your chance to bid on our incredible live & silent auction items to include unbelievable vacation packages, quaint get-aways, designer fashion items from Jimmy Choo, Prada, & Cole Haan just to name a few! Of course, there will be a few unforgettable 'surprises' in between. 
 
Can't make it to the Sneaker Ball but still want to support this wonderful program? Your tax-deductible donation gladly accepted & appreciated!
 
Shoes That Fit is so excited to celebrate these milestones of 20 Years & 1 Million pairs of new shoes donated to children in need! We know that you believe as we do that-Every Child Deserves Shoes That Fit. See you at the Sneaker Ball!

Shoes That Fit is proud to announce that on March 11th our very own volunteer extraordinaire, Linda Ray, will be awarded the Heroes of the Heartland award by Stater Bros. Markets which includes $10,000 to donate to the charity of her choice!

Linda has been working her magic as a Shoes That Fit volunteer since 2004. She has led her Golden State Foods workplace in City of Industry in their Shoes That Fit endeavors, donating 2,234 pairs of brand new athletic shoes to children in need at 39 schools in eastern LA County, the Inland Empire and beyond. Linda’s site is geared to help an additional 7 schools before Spring Break. Potentially 525 more kids will be heading to school with shoes that fit—and smiles on their faces.
 
Linda says Shoes That Fit is more than just a workplace project.
 
“Partnering with Shoes That Fit not only has strengthened our community and our company’s culture,” says Linda, “but it is now a mission within my family that is being passed to a third generation.”
 
Linda’s Shoes That Fit work has inspired other Golden State Foods sites across the country from Washington state to North Carolina. From the beginning of the school year in August 2011 on through this past winter break, Golden State Foods chapters provided 1,674 pairs of new shoes to children in 8 states—all working with the same model Linda helped develop.
 
“Linda has taken time from her busy schedule to participate as a volunteer for our Foundation for many years,” says Renee Uribe, the current GSF Foundation Chair at their site. “Volunteers such as Linda are changing the lives and shaping the future for youth throughout our communities every day. She is truly an inspiration.”
 
 
“While Shoes That Fit is a national organization helping children in 40 states, we are focusing our growth in LA and Orange Counties and the Inland Empire,” says Roni Lomeli, Executive Director of Shoes That Fit. “If we could clone one volunteer to help us achieve our goals, it would be Linda Ray. By lashing her corporation’s commitment to community involvement to her personal and family passion for giving, Linda not only provides new shoes to hundreds of children each year, she inspires others to do the same.”

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Happy Holidays from the Shoes That Fit staff! As this year comes to an end, we wanted to say Thank You to all our volunteers, donors & school liaisons for their unwavering support of our mission to provide new shoes to children in need who wouldn't otherwise have them. Your support allows these deserving children to attend school in comfort and with dignity. As we head into 2012, we look forward to our 20 Year Anniversary which we will celebrate in April & to the donation of our 1 Millionth pair of shoes! We hope you'll continue to rally around the important work being done through our programs across the U.S. and look forward to another exciting year at Shoes That Fit!
 
Roni, Michelle, Lee and Barbara

Shoes That Fit, Nordstrom and New Balance have partnered once again to provide  nearly 12,000 children in need with new shoes this holiday season! Nordstrom’s Holiday Giving Tree Program, which takes place across the U.S. from November 25 through December 24 displays a holiday tree in 117 Nordstrom stores with tags you can purchase for $20. Each tag purchased represents a deserving child in your community who will receive a brand new pair of New Balance athletic shoes. So while you're out shopping this holiday season, pick a gift tag from the Giving Tree at your local Nordstrom & bring joy to a deserving child in need!

With temperatures soaring here in Southern California, we are pleased to announce the number of new shoes given to children through Shoes That Fit programs is also soaring! Our program manager Lee Kane has been compiling statistics from our volunteers across the country and we are inching closer to the donation of our 1 millionth pair of shoes! As of today, Shoes That Fit has donated 989,636 pairs of new shoes & other items to children in need. Our programs are in over 1,900 schools across 40 states and growing!  We will definitely be celebrating this milestone at our Sneaker Ball in April 2012!

Concerts Under the Stars fundraiser will begin July 30th & continue on August 6th & August 13th. 100% of your $55 donation goes to Shoes That Fit thanks to the Hafif Family Foundation who underwrites the entire cost of the event! Where else can you enjoy appetizers, dinner, dessert & live entertainment in a beautiful 150 acre estate nestled in the foothills of La Verne, CA?
 
MillerCoors will be sponsoring a shoe drive July 25th-August 8th at their Irwindale, CA facility. They have already helped children in need through their partnership with Shoes That Fit & the Irwindale Chamber of Commerce!
 
There are many ways you can keep up with Shoes That Fit:

• ‘LIKE’ us on facebook
• follow us on Twitter
• sign up for our eNewsletter (coming soon!) 

Swing into spring by helping a child in need
 
With the official start of Spring just a few days away, Shoes That Fit is off and running with our annual Spring for Shoes campaign in the Claremont Village, CA! Campaign runs from: March 25 –April 10, 2011. Under the leadership of Joan Bunte, owner of Stamp Your Heart Out, and the generosity of merchants throughout downtown Claremont, 200 local school children in need will be treated to new athletic shoes, socks and other goodies. Participation is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
 

1. You choose an empty basket with a child’s name, age and shoe size from any participating merchant
2. Fill the basket with a new pair of shoes, socks and treats
3. Return the basket to the store you picked it up from

 
And since you’ll already be in The Village picking up your Shoes That Fit basket to help a child in need feel great returning to school from spring break, hop around to some of the other participating merchants and pick up a few springtime goodies for yourself, too!
 
For more information or a complete list of participating merchants, contact Joan Bunte at Stamp Your Heart Out 909-621-4363