TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Students across the Big Bend are heading into the new school year with a little more confidence and a brand-new pair of shoes.<\/p>\n
The ninth annual Shoes 4 School giveaway provided more than 2,000 pairs of shoes Sunday at the Al Lawson Center for students in Leon, Gadsden and Jefferson counties.<\/p>\n
Students described how they felt about the experience as \u201chappy,\u201d \u201cgood\u201d and \u201cgrateful.\u201d<\/p>\n
For one parent Balviter Booth, the giveaway is especially helpful when shopping for multiple children. \u201cThis helps out tremendously,\u201d Booth said.<\/p>\n
Booth, who attended the event for the second year in a row, said shoes can be expensive, especially for children who need larger sizes.<\/p>\n
\u201cShoes range anywhere from $50 to $200, and I have boys as well, whose sizes are 11-13, which are extremely pricey,\u201d Booth said.<\/p>\n
The National Retail Federation says families with students in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of more than $860 on back-to-school items this year.<\/p>\n
Organizers say the giveaway is designed to help ease that financial burden.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of parents are struggling because they have to pay rent, pay the light bill, and it\u2019s a hard choice to make when you have a child who wants a new pair of shoes before school starts,\u201d said Bishop Quincy Griffin of Family Worship and Praise Center.<\/p>\n
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Griffin, a former Leon County Schools band director, said he saw firsthand how having proper shoes can affect students.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they feel good, they are going to do well in school,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cTheir scores are going to be higher. They are going to have a different level of self-confidence because if your shoes have holes in them, or they don\u2019t have soles, how can you focus in class?\u201d<\/p>\n
Griffin said the giveaway is a community effort, with nearly 200 volunteers and sponsors helping students start the school year on the right foot.<\/p>\n
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