Our Story
In early November 2002, I was invited by a church member, who was a kindergarten teacher, to come to her school to read to her 5k class. I have always loved going to schools and jumped at the opportunity. It was a cold rainy morning. The temperature was hovering around 40 degrees and the wind was blowing. It was one of the first signs of winter being right around the corner. When I arrived at the school, I reported to the main office to sign-in and received my visitors badge. The receptionist told me someone from the 5k class would come and get me, so I sat down in a chair. Seated next to me was a student who was probably in the 2ndor 3rdgrade. I smiled and spoke, and the young student responded, “I’m waiting on my mom, I’m going home sick today.” As she sat next to me she was swinging her feet back and forth and it caught my attention. Her shoes were old, worn and looked too small for her feet. Her left shoe, on the heel had a hole in them and I could see she didn’t have on any socks. Her right shoe was in a little better shape, or so I thought, until she crossed her leg over her knee and began playing with the heel like a dangling flap.
My heart was stirred that day, all I could think of as I went to read we that young girl waiting to go home. On my out of the school I stopped by the main office to return my badge and asked about the girl and her family. She had three siblings that they knew of and her mom worked at a restaurant while the kids were at school each day. I couldn’t help but wonder if she had ridden the bus to school that day, had to wait in the rain and cold, with holes in her shoes and no socks to keep her feet warm. My heart was broken, and I knew something needed to be done to help children like her have a quality pair of shoes and warm socks. That year, before Christmas Laces4Love was off and running.
About
Laces4Love is a non-profit 501c3 Christian organization which provides athletic shoes and socks to elementary aged children in Aiken, Edgefield, Lexington, McCormick, Oconee and Saluda counties in South Carolina. We also provide shoes for preschool aged children in Head-start programs in the counties listed above as well as Barnwell County. Laces4Love began in 2002, providing shoes to 67 needy students in three elementary schools in Aiken county. In 2017, Laces4Love provided more than 1500 pairs of shoes and more than 3,000 pairs of socks to children in South Carolina.
On any given morning, most of us go into our closet and pick out a pair shoes to match our clothing or the activity we have planned that day. In our community and surrounding counties many children are lucky to have a pair of shoes that fit, or that aren’t worn out and filled with holes. Laces4Love believes all children should have a pair of shoes and warm socks to wear to school.
“Laces 4 Love is life changing! The smile on the students’ faces when they receive a new pair of shoes is breathtaking. Joy fills the room, not only from the students, but from the volunteers who are interacting with the students.
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