A lack of good shoes keeps Kansas City students from thriving at school | Opinion

Do you think new shoes have magic powers? Can they make you run faster and jump higher? At least one Kansas City Public Schools student thinks so, according to state Rep. Melissa Douglas, who formerly served as the liaison for the city’s homeless students. Douglas says she witnessed one boy’s joyous reaction as he ran up and down the school hallway after he received a new pair of athletic shoes.

Those shoes were provided by Soles4Souls, the nonprofit I am privileged to lead. One of our initiatives, 4EveryKid, provides new shoes and socks to students in unstable housing, and we have thriving partnerships with school districts across the United States, including here in the Kansas City area to serve these children. While many amazing organizations are focused on the critical needs of shelter, food and transportation, the school officials we align with tell us shoes are also essential for students to succeed in school. That’s right: properly fitting shoes.

To better understand the impact shoes can have, let’s first look at the scope of youth homelessness. The national nonprofit SchoolHouse Connection reports there are more than 1.37 million kids experiencing homelessness in public schools nationwide, and these are just the ones we know about. To put that into perspective, that’s more than double the population of Kansas City, which is approximately 516,000.

Through our partnerships, we’ve learned that improper footwear for kids experiencing homelessness results in 40% of students missing school, and 69% expressed difficulty focusing on their classroom studies because their shoes were too big, too small or worn out with holes.

That’s where Soles4Souls comes in. Since 2020 when we launched 4EveryKid, more than 529,000 students nationwide have received a pair of new, brand-name athletic shoes. Each student also gets a new pair of socks, thanks to our partner Bombas. We’ll serve another 250,000 students across all 50 states this school year thanks to all our incredible donors and partners, as we work toward providing every one of those 1.37 million kids with a new pair of kicks.

The latest statistics from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education show there are approximately 3,351 homeless students in the districts where Soles4Souls has established partnerships, and since fall 2020, we have distributed 9,752 pairs of new shoes. Our partners include Kansas City 33 School District, Fort Osage R-1 School District in Independence, Hickman Mills C-1 School District, Independence 30 School District, North Kansas City School District 74 and Kansas City International Academy.

Marlon Johns, KCPS Data Technician for Students in Transition, said he was excited to provide new shoes to the students in the nursing program, and he plans to provide shoes for all the kids they serve, so they have something new to wear for the holidays. He says the students are always surprised to receive such high-quality brands just like the other kids have.

We’ve learned from multiyear school data that new shoes do lead to meaningful improvement in self-esteem, academic engagement, physical activity and attendance. And 96% of kids said they felt more confident and were more excited to participate in school.

By providing the right opportunities and support, these kids can start to dream big and envision a different future. We need the entire ecosystem of schools, government, businesses, individuals, funders and nonprofits to help keep these students in school, learning and having a shot at a better future. And we’re more committed than ever to being a part of the solution.

During this season of giving, many worthy organizations will be reaching out to you. I ask you to take some time to learn about the invisible issue of youth homelessness in your community. You can help provide a new pair of athletic shoes, a wealth of potential — and, just maybe, some magical powers. For more information, go to soles4souls.org

Buddy Teaster is the president and CEO of Soles4Souls, a global 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Nashville that creates opportunity through shoes and clothing.