Educate a Child with Shoes

Five-year-old Nicholas Lowinger learned not to take things for granted when he visited a homeless shelter with his mother. He was excited for the opportunity to show off his new light-up sneakers to the kids. But his mom cautioned him against doing so, explaining that these children might not have such luxuries. Nicholas saw kids wearing old, tattered shoes that were falling apart.

There were 1.6 million homeless children across the United States in 2010, according to a report from the National Center on Family Homelessness. Nicholas wanted to help by donating his old shoes to local shelters. But he quickly realized that his donations, while well intentioned, weren't that helpful.

"It bothered me that I only had used shoes to give to them instead of new shoes that fit right," he said. "No two people's feet are identical, and if you are wearing someone else's worn shoes, your feet aren't going to be very comfortable."

So in 2010, at the age of 12, Nicholas started a program that donates new shoes to homeless children. With the help of his parents, he started the Gotta Have Sole Foundation. Since 2010, the organization has donated new footwear to more than 10,000 homeless children in 21 states.

Nicholas has heard many emotional stories. He remembers a brother and sister who had to share one pair of sparkly pink sneakers. Each day, the siblings switched off wearing the sneakers. When one went to school, the other had to miss a day. The children fell behind in their studies until they each received a new pair of shoes from Nicholas' group.

"Something that seems so simple, a pair of shoes, made the difference between getting an education or not," Nicholas said.

More than 1,000 volunteers have helped out with the group. Nicholas works 15 hours a week on the project—a time limit imposed by his mother to ensure that he has enough time for schoolwork and other activities.

Nicholas is one of 24 CNN Heroes, All Star Tribute who is being recognized for his philanthropic efforts. Today’s gift was to give a donation to Nicholas’ foundation at www.gottahavesole.org so that homeless children have a chance to get an education because they have shoes to wear to school.

In Giving,

Robin