About 400 students at Dickinson West Elementary School in Hamtramck recently received a brand new pair of shoes each thanks to Lace Up Detroit.
Lace Up Detroit is a nonprofit organization that provides new shoes and boots to underserved women and children. The organization hosted a Spring Shoe Drive on April 28 at Dickinson West.
“We’re excited that they had the opportunity to come to our school and to be a blessing to our students,” said Principal Leola Banks. “Our students are excited, they love the new shoes. We are just so thankful that they had this opportunity.”
Lace Up Detroit volunteers and leaders were present to fit each child for his or her new shoes.
“The kids are loving it,” said Board Member Marianne Denomme. ”They’re excited to wear their new shoes and they don’t want to get them dirty. They’re talking about riding bikes in their new shoes. You can see that the shoes really are needed.”
Dickinson West staff were also on hand and enjoyed seeing their students’ enthusiasm.
“My kids are very excited to receive new shoes,” said second grade teacher Jazmin Gonzalez. “They’re so happy that they were able to get a whole new pair for free.”
The students were just as eager to talk about the event as the adults in attendance.
”I feel so good in my new shoes because I love my new shoes,” one student said. “They’re so pretty.”
Another student shared her excitement about having shoes in her size.
“I feel so great about my shoes because they’re the only ones that fit perfectly on me,” she said.
Lace Up Detroit isn’t stopping with Dickinson West. The organization has plans to meet the needs of even more Detroit-area students in the future.
“We want to continue to reach out in Detroit and the surrounding area,” Denomme said. “We’re looking for more opportunities where there’s a need.”
