[su_label type=”info”]AGENCY SPOTLIGHT: FIRST DAY SHOE FUND[/su_label]

Leatrice Fullerton joined First Day Shoe Fund earlier this year as a program committee member, and is one of dozens of volunteers who keep thousands of children – a record 4,684 this year alone – outfitted in new shoes at the beginning of each school year.

She holds a deep connection to the organization’s mission, she said, for the smiles she’s seen it bring to children’s faces, and also for the gratitude she feels for having experienced the impact as a recipient family several years ago.

Fullerton and her 6-year-old son, Aaron Pertee, shared their experience and passion for First Day Shoe Fund at United Way’s Dec. 5 Basic Needs Pop Up Giving event. After learning about the program and two others – Food Bank of South Central Michigan and Kalamazoo Drop-In Child Care Center – attendees voted to grant $1,500 to the First Day Shoe Fund.

“The board of directors and committee volunteers work hard all year to raise funds to serve as many children as possible, so to have a pleasant surprise like this come through is a huge help to an organization our size,” First Day Shoe Fund Executive Director John Curran said.

He said they currently distribute shoes to eligible children in Kalamazoo Public Schools, Comstock Public Schools, Paramount Charter Academy and Woods Edge Learning Center, and hope to grow capacity to meet the requests coming from other areas.

“There is need in every community,” Curran said. “Spend one shift fitting shoes onto children’s feet in our schools and you will see the need that exists, and how happy a child can be when presented with a new pair of shoes just for them. Every child should have that basic feeling of shoes that fit properly and allow them to run and play.”

Fullerton’s children no longer qualify to receive shoes, but she remembers well what it was like to benefit from the program.

“I went through a period of being unemployed after receiving a Master’s degree in social work,” she said. “As you can imagine, this was one of the most difficult times in my life. I was a single mother with a disability looking for work, dealing with rejection letter after rejection letter.

“Having to make the decision of whether to buy shoes and clothes for school for the kids or pay bills is a difficult position for any parent to be in. Being able to benefit from First Day Shoe Fund was huge to our family. Not having to spend money on shoes allowed me to spend more money on the cost of living.

“I am, and will always be grateful to them for who they are to so many children and families in this community.”

Two ways to get involved with First Day Shoe Fund

• Summer and Fall Distributions: Volunteers are needed for a variety of duties during distribution events. Duties range from fitting shoes onto children’s feet to packaging shoe orders and loading trucks.
• Year-Round: A volunteer committee structure supports functions like public relations and marketing, fund development and programming.

To volunteer, sign up on the website at firstdayshoefund.org or email firstdayshoefund@gmail.com.

To learn more about Pop Up Giving and how you can be part of it, visit our PUG page. See more photos from our most recent PUG HERE.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors for making the Dec. 5 PUG a success: Sprinkle Road Tap House, Zeigler Motorsports, Rick Chambers & Associates and Buy Local Kalamazoo.