400 Local Kids Step into the School Year with Shoes of Hope  

Remember that happy feeling of lacing up a new pair of school shoes?  

That excitement, the kind that makes you want to run laps around the living room before anyone tells you to take them off, was on full display in Chesapeake on July 21, when ForKids hosted a back-to-school shoe giveaway at its Landmark Center.  

On that day, ForKids teamed up with Samaritan’s Feet International, Sentara Foundation, Sentara Health and Mr. Rogers Windows Foundation to put new shoes on the feet of 400 children and families served by ForKids’ housing, education and alumni programs.  

“The shoes were brightly colored, fast and cool, but the event was about so much more than just new kicks,” said ForKids CEO Thaler McCormick. “It was about our community coming together to make sure our kids start the school year feeling confident and cared for.”  

The effort was organized by Samaritan’s Feet International through Shoes of Hope, an initiative that has empowered the humanitarian organization to distribute shoes to children and families in 113 countries and more than 625 U.S. cities over the past 20 years.  

“One of the most meaningful parts of every Shoes of Hope event is watching people from businesses, foundations, nonprofits and the local community come together with a shared purpose,” said Luke Eberle, associate development officer for Samaritan’s Feet International. “Seeing so many people unite to serve children and families in need is truly inspiring.”  

Amanda Simpson, Sentara’s project coordinator of community engagement and impact, built on Sentara’s history of collaboration with both ForKids and Samaritan’s Feet to bring the agencies together. For Simpson, a highlight of the day was seeing the positive reactions from the kids and the moments of joyful, human connection between the families and volunteers.  

“Through ForKids, we were able to connect with entire families, creating a more holistic experience that fostered meaningful engagement with both children and parents,” said Simpson, who manages the Sentara Serves program, which organizes and coordinates corporate volunteer activities. “While a new pair of shoes may not be their greatest need, it is a meaningful one that can provide comfort, confidence and practical support. Partnering with ForKids allows us to address that need while creating a welcoming and engaging experience in a trusted and supportive environment.”  

For Gerry and Jennifer Rogers and the volunteer team from Mr. Rogers Windows Foundation, those moments of connection underscored the long-term impact of the day. Founded in 2002, the Foundation supports children, families and communities through programs that “create opportunity, restore dignity and strengthen the world.”  

“Our team loved participating in the day, and it was great interacting with the kids,” said Gerry Rogers, owner of Mr. Rogers Windows and founder of Mr. Rogers Windows Foundation. “I can only imagine how the parents feel when they no longer have to make that impossible decision of: Do I get my kids new shoes, or do I get them school supplies?”  

See photos from the day.