Saturday, August 20 was a happy day for close to 100 members of the Boys & Girls Club of the Sandhills.
The doors of the Shoe Carnival in Aberdeen opened at 7 a.m. with over 30 members from the Rotary Club of Pinehurst eagerly waiting to usher a young person in to pick out a special pair of shoes for the new school year.
It was the 10th year of this special event called “Happy Feet.” The driving force of this event, Ed Biebrich said, “I don’t think it ever gets old. Each year you see new faces, and it’s much more than a charity thing for us, it’s a signature program for the club.”
Every member of The Rotary Club of Pinehurst in attendance took time to make sure each child received the shoe that they really wanted and that it fit just right.
Steve Kastner, CEO of the Boys & Girls of the Sandhills added, “Having the opportunity to collaborate with Rotary is always an honor for our Club, as we see so much collaboration in our mission statements; to provide service to others and promote integrity. There is no better example of living our mission than Happy Feet, which enabled our kids to get a new pair of shoes before school which is often overlooked.”
After selecting the perfect pair of shoes, each young person was gifted a new pair of socks. Volunteers from Pinehurst United Methodist Church were also a part of the special day providing backpacks of all styles and colors stuffed with age-appropriate school supplies. Members of Pinehurst United Methodist Church collected the school supplies, including pencils, pens, notebook paper, calculators, and protractors.
If it’s true that we look at our feet before the eyes, then these kids’ shoes will sparkle and so will their eyes, but most importantly, there are now a lot of happy feet thanks to the Rotary Club of Pinehurst.
Courtesy photo/Contributed.
