“To have over 300 pairs of shoes donated is pretty amazing,” said Shawnee Elementary Campus Principal Kyle Phelps. “There is power in numbers. Our school can accomplish a lot, and we cannot wait to see what the Brave Leaders and Shawnee Elementary community can do next for Springfield Twp. and the city of Springfield.”
After the shoe drive, students scrubbed, organized and sorted all donated shoes before taking them to the Salvation Army to be distributed to the community.
Phelps said students wanted to donate gently used shoes that were “cleaned up” and felt “new.”
“The gently used shoes now have a new purpose and a little elbow grease can go a long way,” he said.
This drive was the Brave Leaders’ third service project for the year. The idea for this project started at the beginning of the school year when students were brainstorming ways to help families in the community.
The Brave Leaders Club is a group of 40 sixth-grade students who are leaders “setting the standard for what it means to be a Shawnee Brave,” Phelps said. The club works to “continue to identify opportunities to positively impact their classrooms, school and community” through acts of kindness and service. They meet once a month to plan meetings, activities and implement their ideas.
“We are looking forward to continuing to partner with different organizations and groups around the area,” Phelps said. “We want to give back to our community and serve our neighbors.”
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