They were still in middle school when Holy Soles tiptoed years ago into the halls of Grayson High School.
In fact, by the time Kenny Ikebudu and Denzel Gomez arrived two years ago, the school-wide shoe campaign was something of a distant memory.
But what if they could resurrect it? What if they could collect, say 3,000, pairs of shoes just in time for winter for those in need?
“No one else was taking the [initiative],” Ikebudu recalled the other day. “We decided if we didn’t who else would?’’
Instead of taking a wait-and-see stance, the 15-year-old sophomores decided they would, and on Sept. 5, with the help of members of the school’s DECA Club, relaunched the once popular campaign.
And instead of limiting the drive to just Grayson High as they’d done in previous years, Ikebudu and Gomez decided to expand it to the local Kroger and their churches, Mt. Zion Baptist and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
By Nov. 17, they’d collected piles of gently worn dress shoes, sneakers and boots for men, women and children.
“Our goal was to collect 3,000 pairs of shoes and we actually collected 2,636 pairs,” Ikebudu said.
The students donated their bounty to United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, which plans to distribute the shoes to local nonprofits such as the Gateway Centers.
“We were really blown away by what they did,” said John Davis, lead development officer at United Way.
Davis said Gomez and Ikebudu contacted his agency over the summer to talk about ways they could help, but it wasn’t until recently that he learned of the shoe drive.
“This is really how United Way works,” Davis said. “It’s really a volunteer driven organization and when young people get involved early in their lives, they typically continue to do that.”
Holy Soles, he said, is the perfect compliment to United Way’s annual coat drive, Project Overcoat. New and gently used coats and blankets may be dropped off at area Kroger stores between Jan. 7 and Jan. 21.
“People experiencing homelessness are on their feet a lot,” Davis said. “Comfortable footwear is something that is very important to them.”
That makes Gomez’s and Ikebudu’s efforts all the more important, he said.
“I get to work with a lot of young people and am continually amazed at what they do and the initiative and creativity that they have,” Davis said. “I can’t sing their praises enough.”
