3,000 EVSC students receive new pairs of shoes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - 3,000 elementary students received new pairs of shoes free of charge this week thanks to Rally Point Events and the Evansville Police Department.

And now, elementary students in Daviess County can also expect to receive brand new shoes this winter.

Rally Point Events gave non-profit Happy Feet Equals Learning Feet $30,000 to give away 1,000 pairs to students from three Daviess County schools, which have yet to be announced.

Rally Point Events Producer Lance Yearby says the giveaway in Daviess County will be scheduled for some time in December in the weeks before Christmas.

Larry Baird is president of Happy Feet Equals Learning Feet. He says their philosophy is that when a student has new shoes, it gives them more confidence and sets them up for success in the classroom.

“We run into instances where one kid was wearing a shoe three sizes too small when they were actually measured and fitted,” he said. “One little boy put his shoes on and said, ‘Look how high I can jump.’”

Rally Point Events producer Lance Yearby says many of the students they come across haven’t had a new pair of shoes in years.

He tells us students will be able to pick out their own shoes from about six different styles and brands.

“We want to provide quality shoes. That’s the key,” he says. “Quality. we can just throw shoes out there, but if they’re not quality they don’t matter. These shoes will last longer than six months, they’ll last what they should.”

Now, this is the first year Rally Point has brought its shoe giveaways into the Owensboro area.

They have a goal to put a brand-new pair of shoes on the feet of every student in Daviess County by next year.

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