Seattle Storm, Nordstrom surprise entire school with new shoes
A partnership with Nordstrom and Shoes That Fit resulted in new Nike shoes for every student at Seattle’s Bailey Gatzert Elementary School.
SEATTLE – Students at Bailey Gatzert Elementary School in Seattle got a little pep in their crotch today thanks to a visit from members of Seattle Storm and a team of community partners who delivered brand new shoes to the entire student body.
Nordstrom and a nonprofit called Shoes That Fit rolled onto campus in a school bus full of new Nike shoes.
The Seattle Storm showed up with mascot Doppler and point guard Jordin Canada to help the kids find the perfect sneaker for them.
“As a child, it’s always about the little things. It’s not about doing something that big … it’s just something as simple as giving kids shoes that mean everything to them and that they will always remember, ”said Canada. The two-time WNBA champion is also a Jordan Brand athlete and brought boxes of her own selected sneakers to surprise the kids.
Shoes are often one of the most expensive things families have to buy for school, and this is especially true in one of Seattle’s most diverse schools with one of Seattle’s most economically disadvantaged populations.
Some students are even threatened with homelessness or transitional housing. More than 20 languages are spoken by the students’ families. But today’s event was all about the universal language of giving.
Ronnie Bell, the headmaster at Bailey Gatzert, said, “New shoes, new attitude. And we want the children to feel comfortable and safe when we welcome them back to school. ”
This is something that Shoes That Fit is reflecting with their partnership with Nordstrom. Shoes That Fit does not receive any government funding and has issued over 200,000 pairs of shoes in 11 years of working with Nordstrom.
Nekeda Newell-Hall is the Chief Strategy Officer at Shoes That Fit and said, “It’s about the kids. It’s not about the shoes at all. The shoes are an expression of how much we love the children, how much we invest in them and how much we really want to satisfy this basic need so that they can learn, play and thrive. “