Parent Teacher Magazine Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools May 2014 | Page 14

The closet runneth over

Community partnership delivers more than 1,000 pairs of shoes
Linda McCoy of Heels.com gives a new pair of shoes to a Tuckaseegee
Elementary student.
On April 11, Heels.com and other community partners paired up to
deliver 1,400 pairs of shoes to Tuckaseegee Elementary. Each of the school’s
811 students received a new pair of shoes prior to spring break.
The initiative began when media specialist Christine Clark noticed that
her students were wearing shoes that didn’t fit or were in poor condition.
“I would see the students walking on the heels of their shoes. It was
a clear sign that the shoes were too small. A few students were walking
around without the soles of their shoes and others were in flip-flops during
the winter,” said Clark. “Something had to be done so I reached out to my
friend Linda McCoy from Heels.com in hopes of just 10 pairs of shoes.”
With a joint effort between My Gym of South Park and McCoy, they
were able to deliver more than just 10 pairs of shoes. Since February, the
two businesses have held a silent auction and other events to raise money
to purchase shoes and receive donations. More than $2,800 was raised from
the auction and several restaurants, including Capital Grille and Basil’s,
gave at least $100 or more.
“This fundraiser was much bigger than a couple pairs of shoes,”
said McCoy, who owns Heels.com. “There are people in the community
who need help and there are people who are eager to help. We were
overwhelmed with positive responses from people who wanted to
contribute.”
Tuckaseegee received almost twice the number of pairs of shoes
needed to meet the school’s population. The remaining shoes will be kept
until there is another need – as a student wears down his/her shoes there will be a replacement pair easily accessible.
“It is unbelievable how much the c