Los Angeles – The Chris Paul Family Foundation saw what a collaboration with Shoes That Fit could do for children back in North Carolina, and the Paul family wanted to spread that joy around Los Angeles.
Paul's foundation is always looking for unique ways to help kids, and on Wednesday after practice, that meant delivering more than 350 pairs of new shoes to Barack Obama Charter Elementary School, enough that every child at the school got a free pair.
“There's so many different things that we take for granted on a daily basis, and a pair of shoes is one of them,” said Paul, who's a Jordan Brand athlete. “I've been fortunate enough to be endorsed by a great brand as far as shoes, and just seeing how many kids love to play and could use a pair of shoes and that's shoes that fit, that's the mission.”
The Chris Paul Family Foundation and Shoes That Fit figured out the size of shoe for every kid at the school, and made sure they got a pair that worked for them.
More than anything, Paul said the event is to show the kids that people care about them. Long before he had his own shoe or ever made it to the NBA, Paul said it would've meant the world to have been given a pair of free Jordans at the kids' age.
“When you're a kid, you don't really understand everything that goes into it,” Paul said. “You just want a cool, nice pair of shoes. Even for my kids, obviously they live a totally different lifestyle than me and their mother lived growing up, but we try to teach them to be appreciative, to be grateful for all the different things that they have, because a lot of kids don't have those things.”
Finding a school where that was the case was part of the mission, one that the Paul family knew would work to perfection alongside Shoes That Fit after teaming together four different times back in Paul's hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C.
Amy Fass, executive director of Shoes That Fit, said the two organizations wanted to find a school with the most need, one that included kids on free or reduced lunches, and they found the perfect match in Compton at the Barack Obama Charter School, where every child seemed thrilled about the footwear.
One kid tried to race anyone he saw, saying his new Nikes made him run faster and jump higher than before. Fass said she hopes to make more of an impact in Los Angeles with Shoes That Fit, and working with the Paul family helps make it possible and rewarding because of their desire to give back to kids.
“When you get new shoes as a kid, you stand up tall,” Fass said. “These kids take the shoes out of the box and just start running around. They feel so good about themselves. It's about the kids and their self-esteem.”
Whether it's adding new technology to schools, or refurbishing Boys & Girls Clubs, or adding a basketball court to a school, the Chris Paul Family Foundation continues to find new ways to make a lasting impact in the community.
But, as Paul's mother, Robin, said, there's something particularly amazing about seeing the joy on the children's faces when they get a new pair of shoes. Robin was the one who saw the impact the event made in North Carolina, at which point she knew the Paul family had to take the event to Los Angeles before the start of the NBA season.
“We love doing computer labs, we love doing refurbished courts,” Robin said. “Now, we have something new, giving kids shoes. As you all know, Chris is a lover of shoes himself, and to be able to bless children with shoes, that just really puts it over the top.”
