Community Outreach in LA: Shoes that Fit

by LoriAnn Boyer
Los Angeles, CA
Sr Talent Acquisition Specialist

This past November, McGladrey Los Angeles partnered with the outreach organization Shoes That Fit. Shoes That Fit helps children in need throughout thousands of schools across America. Hundreds of thousands of new shoes and other items have been provided to needy school children, and that number is growing rapidly.  Shoes That fit accepts no government funding whatsoever, and with 100% of community donations going directly to school children, through an impressive network of volunteer-run local grassroots chapters, Shoes That Fit is uniquely efficient and effective in its life-changing operations.

In November, McGladrey, partnered with the Gratts Learning Academy; and through the donations and support of the Los Angeles office we were able to donate close to 70 pairs of shoes and socks to children in desperate need of them.  We were surprised to know that thousands of children go to school wearing shoes that do not fit, with shoes they have to duck tape together or shoes they have to cut the front open because their feet have grown and their parents can’t afford a new pair.  There wasn’t one person in the Los Angeles office who wasn’t moved to want to make a difference.  With shoes, socks and monetary donations in hand, our team headed out to Gratts Learning Academy to deliver our bundle of love to the children.  What struck our team the most was the absolute gratitude from each of the children. They, in kind, wrote some of the most precious thank you notes.  One such note said:

“Thank you for my clean shoes. They are blue and green. I wear them every day. The shoes make me happy and I can play in the gym again. Thank you for the gift and for thinking of me. Love, Denisse.”

This outreach effort was so successful and touched so many of us that we’re looking forward to launching another campaign shortly, as well as implementing the same program in some of our other offices.  Shoes That Fit is helping kids improve their self-esteem and fit in at school by eliminating one of poverty’s most visible and debilitating marks. If you’d like to help, please contact our Los Angeles office for more information.  It is a truly meaningful act of kindness, and you will be “changing lives one pair of shoes at a time.”

If you’d like to work alongside amazing audit, tax and consulting professionals who are also champions for their communities, check our current job openings at jobs.mcgladrey.com.