Puckett's Mill Student Collects Shoes for Homeless

McClain Hermes

Fifth Grade, Puckett’s Mill Elementary School

Accomplishment: McClain Hermes, 10, of Dacula earned a Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Award for her work with the Shoes for the Souls service project she led.

Key to Success: When 10-year-old McClain Hermes of Dacula set a goal for herself to collect 400 pairs of shoes to donate to charity, she never expected she would have to cram nearly 1,600 pairs of shoes into a rental truck.

McClain and her father started Shoes for the Souls in 2009 to collect new and slightly used shoes to donate to the Atlanta Mission, a Christian ministry dedicated to helping the homeless population of Atlanta. In Shoes for the Souls’ first year, McClain collected 300 pairs of shoes.

“We saw that people were recycling shoes so we decided to give them to people who don't have them,” McClain said.

When it was time to start collecting shoes for the next year, McClain and Matt set a goal to collect 400 pairs of shoes. As a joke, Matt said if McClain could collect 1,000 pairs of shoes she would let him shave his head. When the final number was tallied, McClain had 1,598 pairs of shoes, a U-Haul truck to load them into, and a set of clippers for her father’s new haircut.

After such a successful turnout for Shoes for the Souls, McClain’s grandmother entered her in the Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Award program. McClain was a local store winner and won a $50 Kohl’s gift card and her photo in the store. She will be entered for a regional award and a $1,000 scholarship.

McClain said she still wants to maintain the service she has done with Shoes for the Souls, but next year in addition to her shoe collection, she will be focused on donating toothbrushes and toothpaste.

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