A 13-year-old girl is putting shoes on the feet of other kids in South Florida.
"I'm 13. I love shoes," said Tiernan Ramer.
Ramer used to collect shoes for herself. Now, she does it for others.
"There are stories about kids on the playground where they don't have shoes so they get blisters and they get cuts and splinters. Now that you put a shoe on their foot, it makes me feel good," she said.
Ramer and her classmates at Seminole Middle School collected more than 300 pairs of shoes in three months. She partnered with In Jacob's Shoes to provide 7,000 pairs of new or like-new shoes to children from Miami-Dade County to Belle Glade in Palm Beach County.
"For a child to have a cool, well-fitted, nice pair of shoes, it just allows them to walk with dignity and have self confidence," said Harlene Zweig with In Jacob’s Shoes.
Casual and dress shoes are distributed through the school systems and non-profit agencies.
"They are so excited," said Zweig. "There's just a smile from ear to ear."
Ramer's work earned her a Top Young Philanthropist award from Mattel and a $1,000 donation to the charity of her choice.
"It feels great," she said. "I think I'm starting to love giving shoes [away] more than receiving them."
Her next project -- giving athletic cleats to the Plantation Athletic League.
Put shoes on the shoeless worldwide. So many people in different parts of our world walk around barefoot, not by choice, but because they lack the resources to put shoes on their feet. This is a simple act of kindness, and a 13 years old girl was able to think of it all by herself, and do it.
"I'm 13. I love shoes," said Tiernan Ramer.
Ramer used to collect shoes for herself. Now, she does it for others.
"There are stories about kids on the playground where they don't have shoes so they get blisters and they get cuts and splinters. Now that you put a shoe on their foot, it makes me feel good," she said.
Ramer and her classmates at Seminole Middle School collected more than 300 pairs of shoes in three months. She partnered with In Jacob's Shoes to provide 7,000 pairs of new or like-new shoes to children from Miami-Dade County to Belle Glade in Palm Beach County.
"For a child to have a cool, well-fitted, nice pair of shoes, it just allows them to walk with dignity and have self confidence," said Harlene Zweig with In Jacob’s Shoes.
Casual and dress shoes are distributed through the school systems and non-profit agencies.
"They are so excited," said Zweig. "There's just a smile from ear to ear."
Ramer's work earned her a Top Young Philanthropist award from Mattel and a $1,000 donation to the charity of her choice.
"It feels great," she said. "I think I'm starting to love giving shoes [away] more than receiving them."
Her next project -- giving athletic cleats to the Plantation Athletic League.
“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
― Mother Teresa
By Heidi Shebaro
Founder of "The Kindness Project in the Middle East", a teacher and a blogger.
No comments:
Post a Comment