Hilda Kennedy knew Shoes That Fit from when her children were young, and she was thankful for the generosity of people like you providing new shoes for her kids during a tough time.
She introduced the cause to Jeimy Ortiz, of Bank of America. When Jeimy heard about this solution to the obstacles of children growing up in poverty, she decided to get her team at Bank of America in [Ontario] involved.
And not just her team at Bank of America and Merrill Lynch. She also recruited a nearby Elements Hotel by Ambridge Hospitality to put a shoe collection box in their lobby. And a banking client, Ruze Inc., which happens to sell shoes, gave the group a generous deal on buying 30 new athletic shoes. Together, they collected and bought 59 pairs of brand-new shoes and delivered them to Shoes That Fit’s Emergency Warehouse in Claremont, California. And they even helped to organize the shoes!
The Shoes That Fit warehouse – through the generosity of people like you – serves children as their needs arise. Local schools and agencies can call, request shoes, and pick up quality shoes, fitted for each child, within a day or two. It’s a wonderful and efficient way that your support makes a difference.
Jeimy shared:
“Bank of America has a very active employee volunteer network that gives back to local causes that share our mission to help make financial lives better. When we learned about Shoes That Fit, which tackles one of the most visible signs of poverty by giving kids in need new shoes to attend school with dignity and joy, prepared to learn and thrive, we knew our teammates could truly help make a difference! Working with Shoes That Fit, we learned that there is a direct correlation between kids having new shoes that fit well and school attendance rates. Our Inland Empire employees were motivated to launch a shoe donation campaign that one of our business banking clients even got involved and helped to subsidize new athletic shoes, resulting in BofA donating 59 pairs to local school children. The experience was both humbling and exciting – we encourage more companies to support Shoes That Fit!”
The Bank of America group wants to make this an annual event – starting in June to prepare for back to school season. We are so thankful to all our donors and partners. Your support helps children growing up in poverty to step into a bright future.
Are you inspired by Hilda, Jeimy, and Bank of America? Consider organizing your team, community, or social circles to make a difference for kids through Shoes That Fit!
