Special shoes: A note of gratitude

I'm so thankful to be part of the Emerald Coast community, and I'm grateful for our community members and businesses that are passionate about helping children and families. While we do our best to protect children and strengthen families, it's no secret that we have limited community funds ... and, sometimes, it's the simple, yet often forgotten, gifts that mean so much.

Recently, we received generous gift cards from Payless ShoeSource to purchase new shoes for our children. When a child is in need of an item such as shoes, it can be a daunting task to find funding -- but this donation made such a difference to one of my clients. I'd like to share:

One of the children on my caseload is the eldest of five; his mother is in jail, and his father is struggling to provide for the family. Last month, this particular child's counselor went to visit him at school ... it happened to be raining that day and, as she walked with the child, she noticed his feet sloshing through the hall. She looked down and her heart sank: his shoes were completely separated from the soles, and he used glue to attach the fabric of the shoes to the fabric inside the shoe. The counselor called me, and after I received the gift cards from Payless ShoeSource, I was able to purchase him two new pairs of shoes -- one for gym class and one for general wear. Soon after, his four siblings received new shoes as well.

I extend my thanks for the generous provision of something so important, yet often difficult to obtain.

Submitted by a CHS Targeted Case Manager