Thank you, we are so grateful. Annie’s Locker would not be able to accomplish our goals without the generous support of this community.

The vision of providing brand new gym shoes to children in the Rockford Public School district began in 2013 when Annie’s Locker was asked to help with the local Youth Services Network (YSN). YSN works as liaisons for the homeless students in the Rockford Public Schools. They reached out to us because they heard about our mission of equipping and inspiring community members to lead and live healthier lives. We were asked to help put proper gym shoes on 500 homeless elementary students in RPS District 205. We had never done anything like that before and were thrilled with the outcome.

In 2014, we decided to pick the three schools with the highest percentage of low income, state assisted, and homeless children therefore King, Beyer, and Lewis Lemon Elementary Schools were chosen. We began calling this annual fund drive “Share a Pair”. Last year, over 1,000 pairs of shoes were collected and personally handed to all the students who participated in the Share a Pair shoe drive. The results of Share a Pair 2014 were amazing.

This year, we added some twists to the program. We started this year’s shoe drive in April of 2015 at Kishwaukee Elementary School. Kishwaukee Elementary School has only ONE student that lives above poverty level. We introduced our new activity program called “Fit in 60” to Kishwaukee. For eight weeks, every student logged at least (or tried to) 60 minutes of daily activity. All 300 students at Kishwaukee turned in their activity cards and were sized for new gym shoes in May. While the students were enjoying their summers, Annie’s Locker members, volunteers, and donors were working hard to make sure all students would have new gym shoes when school started.

On July 9th, we held our kickoff at Lucha Cantina where we were showered with monetary and shoe donations. Over 50 pairs of shoes were donated that evening and more than $700 in cash for our upcoming purchases.

On September 15th, Annie’s Locker delivered over 300 pairs of shoes and socks to the students of Kishwaukee Elementary School. Each child was given the pair of shoes that were donated specifically for them.

Gratitude is powerful. The students could not have been happier to receive their shoes and we could not have been happier to plant the seed of wellness and stay involved in the growth of Rockford.

“These shoes are so colorful!” - Lexi
“These shoes are comfortable!” - Alonzo
“I say thank you and I like them!” - Tiaja
“These shoes will make me so fast!” - Jayquan
“These shoes are so pretty!” - Ra’Mya
“These shoes make me feel powerful!” - Eh Mue
“We absolutely LOVE our new shoes! Thank you so much!” - Jessica
Annie’s Locker is committed to the goal of inspiring a healthier lifestyle in our community, especially among our children. We would not be able to accomplish our big goals without our bighearted donors. Please help keep our mission and vision alive. Donations can be made at www.annieslocker.org.

Thank you so much.