It’s been going on for a full decade, and the “From Your Heart to Their Soles” shoe drive is ready to ride once again. Tricia Keith, from the Vermilion County Regional Office of Education, once handled the truancy officer duties. And as she recalled to D102’s Tommy B on The Big Show, it was during that time that lack of good shoes turned out to be a common reason why students missed school. She started helping on her own, but much more was needed.
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AUDIO: They were wearing shoes too small, shoes too big; they actually had duct tape to hold their shoes together; they would come in house slippers on like inclement weather days. And it was a real thing. So it started out with, “Oh, yes, I’ll get you a pair of shoes.” And then it turned into more and more kids needing shoes, which was out of my budget.
And that’s when “From Your Heart to Their Soles” began. Shoes are distributed to kids in districts all over the county year ’round, with no paperwork or applications. All they need to know is, what do you need?
This, however, is the annual time of year to restock. Only new sneakers or athletic shoes are taken. Keith told Tommy B they did take ‘gently used’ for a while, but it turned out donors had very different interpretations of that. Sizes are needed for kindergarten through high schoolers, so don’t forget the larger sizes. You can drop them off at the Regional Office of Education, at 200 South College in Danville, in the back of the Vermilion County Health Department building. Monetary donations of cash or check are accepted as well.
You can also contact Tricia Keith at either 217-431-2668, 0r 217-304-3648. And you can search for either “Vermilion County Regional Office of Education” and for “From Your Heart to Their Soles” on Facebook as well.
To hear all of Tommy B’s interview with Tricia Keith, please go to https://vermilioncountyfirst.com/big-show-bites-podcast/
