Colorado Springs elementary school given free shoes for every student

It was a very lucky day for students at a Colorado Springs elementary school as every student was given a free pair of shoes.

More than 500 students at Centennial Elementary school walked away with a fresh pair of kicks donated by a major shoe manufacturer that asked to remain anonymous. It’s part of an effort to encourage and help students around the country.

Russ Gosselin the CEO of Elevate Lives which helped set up the event says Centennial says the kids are getting more than just a pair of shoes. “They are receiving a card that is handwritten that says how important they are,” Gosselin says, “We’ve seen in other cities that some of those kids carry that card all year long in their backpack reminding them about people who care for them.”

The students very excited about the donation. We spoke to some of them who say they are happy and thankful for their new shoes. “I’m excited for it because most kids they can’t buy new shoes so this is a great opportunity for them to get new shoes,” Third-grader Jaelee said. Jaequiin another third-grader says, “I’d like to say thank you very much again for the new shoes, it’s super cool to have them.”

For new students attending Centennial, there will also be a pair of shoes for them. Gosselin says there are about a hundred extra shoes for them.