Student-Athletes Initiate Shoe Drive for Youngsters in Need

South Carolina student-athletes are paying it forward to young aspiring athletes in the local community. Fifth-year senior football student-athlete Spencer Eason-Riddle is spearheading a shoe drive for his fellow student-athletes and Athletics Department staff to donate lightly worn shoes and cleats to the Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands.  The Boys & Girls Club will then distribute the shoes to various high schools in the area. 

“This community service project aims to provide shoes and cleats to kids and schools in need of athletic footwear,” Eason-Riddle said.  “As Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) community service officer, I announced this community service project to all SAAC representatives who should’ve relayed the project to their respective teams.  All student-athletes and staff are welcome to donate as many pairs of shoes as they want.

“We’re going to donate them to the Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands. They’re going to give them to people who come to their campus and clubs. It will probably be mainly high school-aged kids who need shoes or cleats to compete in their sport.”

Donations can be made in cardboard boxes which have been placed in the lobby of the Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center.  Approximately 40 pairs of shoes have already been donated, and Eason-Riddle hopes to have at least 100 pairs before it’s over.

“I thought there would be a bunch that were no longer being used that maybe high schoolers could use instead of having to buy their own shoes and cleats.”

“We don’t want to give them shoes where the shoelaces are cut off or the inside of the shoe is worn out,” Eason-Riddle said. “I define it as lightly used. There are definitely at least 100 pairs of shoes between our student-athletes and staff somewhere!

Spencer Eason-Riddle

“I ask the student-athletes and staff to wrap athletic tape around each pair of shoes and to write ‘B’ for boys or ‘G’ for girls and the shoe size on the tape,” Eason-Riddle said. “Just taping them together makes it easier to transport and easy to get them to the people with the right size.”

Eason-Riddle got the idea for the shoe drive when the football locker room was being reorganized in the off-season and the student-athletes were asked to take everything they wanted out of their lockers. Anything left behind would be discarded.

“I thought it would be a waste to throw away any shoes or cleats that might still be usable,” Eason-Riddle said. “We get a lot of cleats and shoes to wear. I thought there would be a bunch that were no longer being used that maybe high schoolers could use instead of having to buy their own shoes and cleats. I picked some of the best ones that were lightly worn and decided it would be a good thing for a community project.

“This is definitely going to a good cause and kids who need them so that they can perform in their sport and do what they love to do. It’s all about them!”

Donations will be accepted at the Dodie until May 4.