SEQUIM — Kids helping kids.
That was the idea behind Girl Scout Troop 45181’s recent shoe drive for Clallam County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
Seven girl scouts raised 130 pairs of shoes — along with cash donations to buy shoes — for Clallam County foster children Oct. 14 by gathering in front of the Sequim Walmart.
CASA coordinator Valerie Brooks said what the girls did was amazing.
“They really have met the needs of our younger kids in care,” she said.
The collected footwear help with CASA’s Kicks for Kids Shoe Drive that seeks to bring a pair of shoes to the 215 foster children in the county by Nov. 19, Brooks said.
“This is our sixth year, and we’ve met our goal every year,” Brooks said. “The hope is that every pair of shoes will be on kids by Thanksgiving.”
Kicks for Kids runs in coordination with National Adoption Day on Nov. 15, and in the weeks to come, CASA will host a “Shoe Blitz” from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 10, at Big 5 Sporting Goods, 171 Valley Center Place, in Carlsborg.
A display will go up from Nov. 13-16 in the Clallam County Courthouse where people can donate, too.
Donations accepted
Shoe donations also are accepted at KSQM in Sequim, KONP and Juvenile & Family Services in Port Angeles, and online via an Amazon.com wish list.
Brooks said the shoe drive started out as a display of shoes to show how many children there are in foster care in Clallam County.
Heidi Krzyworz, a parent volunteer, said the girls felt really supported from the community.
Along with physical shoe donations, the girls received more than $500 in cash to purchase shoes.
Krzyworz said Walmart management offered $1 off each pair of shoes when they bought the shoes, too.
For leading the shoe drive, the girls receive a participation patch. But Krzyworz said it’s more about the community service.
“They were excited to help,” she said.
For their next big project, Troop 45181 scouts plan to make dog beds and raise funds for cat and dog food for the Clallam County Humane Society in the coming months.
For more information about Girl Scouts of Western Washington, visit www.girlscoutsww.org.
For more information about CASA, call 360-565-2621, vbrooks@co.clallam.wa.us or visit Friends of CASA on Facebook.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
