Nonprofit brings free shoes to Boulder kids – Boulder Daily Camera

Student-athlete Reed Schoenfeld understands the struggle of kids rapidly outgrowing their shoes. His nonprofit Sneaks ‘n Cleats aims to ease this struggle, and several Boulder kids were the recipients of the charity’s first shoe giveaway event on Wednesday hosted by youth empowerment organization “I Have A Dream” Foundation of Boulder County.

A pair of dress shoes are selected by an unidentified boy during the nonprofit Sneaks ‘n Cleats shoe donation event at “I Have A Dream” Foundation Boulder County in Boulder on Wednesday. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)Schoenfeld, a junior at Stargate Charter School in Thornton, started Sneaks ‘n Cleats a year ago as a way to collect shoe donations and give them to families who might be struggle to regularly afford new pairs as their kids get older.

“I know that so many kids who play sports have shoes lying around, and kids that need them could be putting them to much better use,” he said.

People can browse the Sneaks ‘n Cleats shoe inventory on the nonprofit’s website at sneaksncleats.org and request a pair through an online form. Wednesday’s public giveaway event, held near the North Boulder Recreation Center at 3170 Broadway, was the first of its kind for the nonprofit. Schoenfeld said he hopes it’s the first of many.

While athletic footwear was what Schoenfeld originally had in mind for the nonprofit, it’s since expanded to include other varieties, from everyday walking shoes to dress shoes.

“A lot of them are really nice, and we’ve cleaned up some of them that were muddy,” Schoenfeld said.

Wednesday’s event saw a line form at the door as early as 3:30 p.m., even though it didn’t officially start until 4 p.m. Of the approximately 70 pairs of shoes on display, a bulk were claimed by kids within the first 20 minutes.

“After this, we’re going to need to restock,” Schoenfeld said. “We definitely need some more small shoes.”

Francisco Medina, “I Have A Dream” Foundation program director, said most of the kids selecting shoes on Wednesday were part of the afterschool group he leads.

“I think it’s really cool to give back and reuse these resources,” he said. “That’s something we advocate for, especially through the social justice lens we believe in.”

Schoenfeld’s basketball team at Stargate is a firm supporter of Sneaks ‘n Cleats, with several players donating shoes of their own. The team even put the nonprofit’s logo on T-shirts for its basketball camp last summer.

“When you’re still in high school and doing all this, it can be a lot,” said assistant coach Ethan Hays, who came to Wednesday’s event with head coach Jason Gray. “But (Schoenfeld) has a lot of people in his corner. He cares for people, and one way he can do that is through using shoes as a vessel.”

Kelly and Brad Schoenfeld, Reed Schoenfeld’s parents, used to live in Boulder. Kelly Schoenfeld said the turnout Wednesday was amazing.

“It’s a nice feeling to come back and see what Boulder can do,” she said.