Helping Belizean kids get to school through The Shoe That Grows
Read how 210 kids and teachers in Belize now have a pair of shoes, protecting their access to education for years to come.
The Shoe That Grows distribution reflections
Personally distributing The Shoe That Grows is a powerful experience. We recently followed up with past supporters who have distributed shoes to hear more about their experiences and how they were personally impacted. Below, read what Richard Newsome and Kelly Sweet shared about their time distributing pairs in Nigeria and Mexico.
The Shoe That Grows in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
“I love doing outreach,” said Richard Newsome. Between his job at the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and his non-profit “The God Squad,” he had a number of avenues to serve in his local community.
“I didn’t have a lot of interest in Africa until I took an ancestral DNA test and discovered a large part of my heritage is Nigerian,” Richard explained. About that time, an opportunity arose for him to join a ministry trip to Nigeria with YOURS (Youth Outreach Urban Resources and Services).
Richard felt an immediate kinship with the people he met in Nigeria. “I was treated so well there. I was really blessed by that. I call them my cousins,” he shared. One of the churches where he served invited him to come back as soon as he could.
While planning the second trip, he heard of Kenton Lee, inventor of The Shoe That Grows, who was studying at nearby Regents University. Richard thought The Shoe would be an amazing gift for the kids in the community that he was returning to.
Through the generous support of the church in Nigeria, CBN mission trip programs, and working through his nonprofit ministry, Richard was able to raise funds for his travel and 200 pairs of The Shoe That Grows.
In 2017, he returned and distributed all the pairs through his church partner. “It was a great demonstration of love and sharing, and they were received well. The young people, in particular, were very excited to receive the shoes.”
The Shoe That Grows in Los Cabos, Mexico
Kelly Sweet and her husband Richard travel to Los Cabos, Mexico, several times a year. To get more engaged in the community, they joined Cabo Church in 2017, where they learned about one of the church’s community outreach programs, Feeding Los Cabos Kids.
Interested in learning more, Kelly took a tour of the program’s facilities during one of her visits. “They took us to the kitchen where they prepare lunch to serve at different locations. After we saw the kids and the issues, we knew we wanted to do something for the kids beyond donating,” she said.
Kelly heard about The Shoe That Grows through social media and felt it would be a good fit to meet the needs of the children that Feeding Los Cabos Kids served. Through fundraising with friends and family, Kelly raised enough to take 100 pairs of shoes to distribute.
When they returned to the Church of Cabo and the Feeding Los Cabos Kids location to give the shoes to the children, a Canadian couple was also touring the kitchens and were excited to help with the distribution.
Together they showed the kids how The Shoe That Grows works and helped fit them on some of the children’s feet while handing them out to others. Some kids had come with shoes in various conditions; others had none.
Kelly said, “Until you see what it is about, you don’t understand. It is an eye-opener how difficult life is for some of the families in this community. It was rewarding to be able to give something lasting to these kids and serve them beyond the feeding program.”
Although these distributions took place several years ago, just like The Shoe, they made a lasting impact. If you are looking for something to distribute on your service or mission trip to multiply your efforts, consider The Shoe That Grows. Find out more.
