BG Rotary members gift 350 pairs of shoes to elementary schoolers

Club hand-deliver boxes to city & county schools

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Some of Santa’s select kids at Dishman McGinness Elementary School walked home Thursday evening in their brand new pairs of shoes, thanks to the Bowling Green Rotary Club’s Annual Shoe Project.

The Rotary Club fundraised and purchased roughly 350 pairs of brand-new shoes for kids in Warren County Public Schools and Bowling Green Independent Schools.

Rotary Club member Duncan Hines said, “Before it starts really getting cold outside, we want to make sure that they have good shoes that to go outside and go to school with or to go outside and play with. So, this is a phenomenal project, and I think all of us get really happy and involved with it each year.”

Throughout the week, Rotary Club members also hand-delivered the shoe boxes to Parker Bennett-Curry Elementary School, Warren Elementary School, and Jennings Creek Elementary School.

Dishman McGinness Family Resource Coordinator Erica Dowdy said many of these kids,“…have holes in their shoes they have the soles are coming off of it. So, this is a huge blessing for our kids.”

School resource officers, teachers, and family resource coordinators like Dowdy helped hand-selected the student recipients.

 “They don’t have new clothes or shoes at Christmas time or at the beginning of the year,” she continued. “So, this is the first pair of shoes that they’ve received since probably some of these kids did this last year.”

Club members made sure to take their time helping each student try on the new pair.

“It’s a great thing! The members really get involved with it,” said Hines. “I think they look forward to this project ever year. Several of our members have been active with it year, after year, after year.”

“Lots of kids were jumping up and down so excited,” Dowdy described. “Even if [the shoes] were a little small they didn’t want to part with them. I promised I would exchange them for them. So, they’re very, very excited.”

Rotary Club says they’re already excited for next year.

“We’ve already grown it for a couple more schools, and then next year we’d like to grow it even more,” said Hines