How wonderful it is that we need not wait a single moment before starting to change the world. -- Anne Frank

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

New Shoes Bring Big Smiles

Shoes. For many Americans, they're not just a necessity, they're an obsession: buying the latest fashion in dress shoes, the latest and greatest gym shoes, work shoes, summer sandals, winter boots ... some have closets devoted exclusively to their shoes.

It's kind of difficult to imagine never having had a new pair of shoes in your whole life. But for the 111 students at Fresh and Green Academy, that was exactly the case. Until last April. A group of volunteers chipped in and gave Muday enough money to buy each student a new pair of shoes.

Nice, sturdy lace-up shoes that will help them negotiate the steep, rocky trails almost all of them have to follow to go back and forth to school. The kids were ecstatic to get the new footwear, shouts of "Addis chamma!" ("New shoes!") rang out across the school yard. Just check out the giant smile on third-grader Bogale Kumela!

Of course, being kids, they're going to outgrow them. If you would like to help fund future shoe purchases for the students, please feel free to contact me at kmvilicich@sbcglobal.net. Thanks!

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