Footwear and reading material don’t share a lot of common bonds—unless you consider a child’s typical reaction when he or she first gets a new book or pair of shoes.
The Shoes for Students charity organization recently donated $12,000 to the Santa Maria-Bonita School District to help purchase books for all 13,200 students three times throughout the school year.
Shoes for Students matched money that the district received for the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) federal program, which has operated in the district for several years, but usually doesn’t raise enough money to buy books for the district’s 19 schools.
In a release to the media, Maggie White, the district’s public information officer, said that Shoes for Students organizers decided to donate the money because “every child should know the joy of receiving a book of their very own.”
The book distributions will take place in October, December, and February. Students will be allowed to choose their own books based on their interests and grade level.
Shoes for Students also recently donated $10,000 to the Orcutt Children’s Arts Foundation. The donation will support fine arts programs, performances, and specialized classroom lessons at the eight schools in the district. The donation will also provide funding for the foundation’s annual fundraising fine arts gala.
Shoes for Students is supported and funded by the members and affiliates of the Santa Maria Association of Realtors, and has been assisting students in the Santa Maria Valley for the past 10 years. The organization, which raises its money primarily through a charity golf tournament each September, provides students with money for shoes, clothing, and jackets.
School Scene is compiled by Staff Writer Amy Asman. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Sep 18-25, 2008.