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For Lincoln Elementary, Annual Shoe Drive Is a Natural Fit

By Mina Bloom | February 19, 2016 5:24am
 Lincoln Elementary students at the school's annual shoe drive.
Lincoln Elementary students at the school's annual shoe drive.
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DNAinfo/Mina Bloom

LINCOLN PARK — Students at Lincoln Elementary gathered after school this week to dive into a giant pile of old shoes and pair them up — and they had a lot of fun doing it. 

The school, 615 W. Kemper Place, donated a total of 902 pairs of shoes as part of its annual shoe drive, which is done in partnership with Chicago-based nonprofit Share Your Soles.

The nonprofit has distributed more than 2 million pairs of shoes to needy people around the world since 2000.


Lincoln students pairing up shoes at the school's annual shoe drive. [DNAinfo/Mina Bloom]

Ginny Moffat, a Lincoln parent who helped organize the event, said the shoe drive, which is in its fourth year, is a natural fit for the school.

"There are a lot of families here who want to give back. They want to teach their children about kids who are not as fortunate," said Moffat, who also runs the school programs, Lincoln Gives Back and Kindness Club.

The shoes will go to a small African village where parents earn as little as $9 a week and there is no running water, Moffat told the kids.

Parent volunteer Kathy Ropka said the event brings kids and parents together for a great cause.

That opinion was shared by sixth-grader Keegan Schaeffneyer, who, along with her peers, ran around the school gym Tuesday to help sort the shoes.

"I think it's cool because kids and adults can get shoes they need," she said. 

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