“By giving them a durable and good-looking shoe, we give them status, we increase their confidence, their self-image. That's why we call the project ‘Shoes with Identity,’” reads a project proposal from an Interact Club—a high school program of Rotary, an international civic organization—to distribute The Shoe That Grows.

The young members of Hermosillo Milenio Interact Club in Mexico had an ongoing relationship with a neighboring indigenous community. They discovered The Shoe That Grows and felt it would be a perfect fit for the kids they served.

Partnering to provide The Shoe That Grows

To fund their project providing The Shoe That Grows and educational supplies to 62 kids in the Triqui community, the Interact Club tapped into their Rotary network’s Heart to Heart program—a network of Rotary Clubs spanning the US and Mexico. 

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Rotary in Mexico and in coordination with their Mexico-based non-profit partner Fondo Unido Rotario de Mexico (FURMEX), Heart 2 Heart and FURMEX launched the 100 in 100 program, inviting clubs to submit small project ideas that would benefit local communities. The goal was to complete 100 of these projects during the anniversary year, 2020–2021. 

Hermosillo Milenio Interact Club’s proposal to the 100 in 100 program struck a chord with Ron Appuhn. Ron is a long-time Rotary member based in Tennessee and coordinator of finance for the Heart 2 Heart program. 

“I had a special interest in making this project work, as it was simple, easy to implement, conceptually solid, and was led by an Interact Club. My wife and I funded the shoe part of the project so that it would get done quickly and to help jump start our 100 in 100 program,” Ron said. “The concept of a multi-size shoe made a lot of sense to me.”

Reflecting on their distribution

The project was a huge success for Interact Hermosillo Milenio. In their reflection, the Interact Club shared, “Every Interactor involved in the project from the beginning to the end had a great opportunity to help a community—a kid with a name and a smile.”

“When you get the chance to select a shoe for a little girl or boy and help to fit on his/her foot—sometimes cleaning it first—and talking to them, they got to engage. That is a process that helps them, as an Interactor and a person, to grow.”

Heart 2 Heart has changed its 100 in 100 program to the 100 Plus program to continue supporting club-to-club project opportunities like this distribution of The Shoe That Grows. 

Learn more about funding The Shoe That Grows for service projects.