By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
Fifty students at Perkins Elementary, and thirty kids at Bowler Elementary, are walking a little lighter these days. The students were each a recipient of a brand new pair of shoes and socks to help make their Christmas a little brighter.
The shoes and socks were donated by America First Credit Union, in partnership with J. C. Penney, as part of their “Warm the Soles” community service program that helps needy kids i in Nevada and Utah get a brand new pair of shoes during the Christmas season. This is the second year that students at local elementaries have been included in the program.
The program was coordinated at Perkins by school counselor Norita Espinosa who explained the process. “The school identifies students who could benefit from the program,” Espinosa said. “If one member of a family is identified, we make sure all their siblings at the school are also included so that no one feels either singled out or left out.”
Espinosa asked Payless Shoes for a shoe size measurer and they provided one so she could call in each student and measure their feet to prepare for the event.
On Monday, Dec. 18, representatives from the credit union came to the school with a vehicle stuffed with gift-wrapped boxes. The kids were called into the auditorium to receive their gifts.
Students were excited to receive their gifts. Of course, they immediately sat down to try them on and model them for their friends.
“The excitement was palpable as the children tore open the wrappings to find their new shoes and socks,” Espinosa said. “Several of the children were especially pleased when they discovered that they had ‘twin’ shoes with some of their friends!”
“A few of the students had to be encouraged to calm down just a bit as they tested the shoe’s ability to help them run faster and jump higher, which seemed to be the case in every instance,” Espinosa added.
Some of the students were so thrilled with their new footwear that they didn’t want to wear them, wanting, instead, to save them for special occasions.
Despite all the careful measuring and preparation, there are always a few pairs of shoes that just don’t quite fit right. But AFCU and J. C. Penney have hit on a solution to that problem. In addition to new shoes and socks, every box also contained a slip of paper telling the kids that if their shoes didn’t fit, they could just take their shoes and that slip of paper to any J.C. Penney store and they would exchange the shoes for free.
AFCU Overton Branch Manager Debbie Geng said that projects like this are some of her employees’ favorite events to attend.
Although AFCU has been participating in the “Warm the Soles” program for many years, Moapa Valley had never been included in the project before. So Geng set out to change that.
“I think it’s a great program and I thought it would be a great thing to have in our community,” she said.
She was able to begin the program locally last year and to continue the tradition this year as well.
“I haven’t ever heard any feedback from parents, but we think it’s a great program,” Geng added. “It’s fun for the staff and I always make sure at least two of my employees get to attend every ‘Warm the Soles’ local event so they can see firsthand the joy on the kids’ faces and witness the difference that giving back to the community can make in kids’ lives.”
Geng explained that the program is mainly funded by donations from credit union members and employees, but a portion of the service fee from the “Skip a Payment” program also goes to help support the event.
Perkin’s principal Hal Mortensen was grateful to AFCU for the donation and for living in a community with local businesses that support the schools. “I’m so appreciative of companies like AFCU that go above and beyond in thinking of others,” Mortensen said. “The recipients really needed those shoes.”
The event was a success and touched everyone involved. AFCU employee Amy Johnson was there to help deliver the shoes to Perkins. “The kids were excited and very grateful,” she said. “It helped bring the real Spirit of Christmas into my life.”
Espinosa agreed, concluding, “It was such a great experience watching everything unfold. I felt like I could cry.”
