A few weeks ago, just before the holidays, a 14-year-old arrived at our emergency shelter with all of her worldly possessions—a bible, a notebook, a hairbrush, and the clothes on her back.
Imagine her blatant, unabashed joy to be taken shopping to Sports Authority to pick out her very own pair of brand new sneakers! Multiply that elation by 12—the number of youth living in Child Saving Institute’s Emergency Shelter—and you may have to sit down and pull out a tissue at the sight of such happiness.
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| A pair of shoes finds a home with a grateful teen |
Who delivered this wonderful holiday surprise? None other than our favorite Ironman supporter, Adam “A.J.” Fitzhenry, and his mom, Child Saving Institute volunteer Cathy Fitzhenry. A.J., from Lafayette, La., competes in the grueling Ironman Triathlon (a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile marathon run, raced in that order and without a break) and has been tweeting and emailing Child Saving Institute’s shelter youth for many months, encouraging them to have hope and to keep trying.
On December 27, A.J. and Cathy arranged a visit with the kids in the shelter. They did an ice-breaker activity based on the spirit of giving and Cathy read ҆Twas the Night before Christmas. Then A.J. talked about shoes. Really? Shoes?
Yes. Shoes. Here’s what he told the kids:
“Your feet can take you places. My feet (I hope) will take me to the Ironman World Championships in 2013. My goals are set for this year. I know the times I must achieve to win this race. I’ve been working at it for five years now. I will have to work hard, train, and stick to my plan.
“My feet help me swim, bike and run. My shoes—oh how I love new running shoes! —always make me feel stronger and like I can run faster. I think it comes from when I was little boy. My mom would buy me new gym shoes and say, ‘AJ go try your shoes—see how fast you can run AJ! See how high you can jump!’
“As an athlete, I know now that shoes are important (and yes I still love to get new shoes) but I also know that it’s the belief that I have that takes me farther than my feet and shoes can. I have to believe first in my mind that my feet can help me win a race.
“What do you believe in? What do you want to believe in? Remember, you can never give up on that dream or what you want or desire. My belief is I can make it to the Ironman World championships in Kona.
“I believe that I can reach all my goals if I keep them locked in my mind and think about them every day.
“I believe that I can make the future different and bring more joy into my life. “I believe in YOU, that you, too, can achieve your goals.”
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| A.J.'s wall of letters, photos and Tweets of encouragement to the Shelter youth |
Wow. A pretty powerful message to kids who are struggling to make their way in the foster care system.
After the talk, the youth were split into two groups and A.J. and his mom, along with shelter staff, went shopping and everyone was allowed to choose their own shoes—some for the first time in their lives.
The funding for this special shopping trip came from individuals who responded to A.J.’s “$5 Buck Challenge” and donated $5 a month to Swim Bike Run For Kids, his campaign to encourage others to “take on a personal challenge, and then celebrate your accomplishment by donating $5 to kids in need.”
He could not have chosen a more worthy project—or more grateful recipients. “Most of our kids show up here with very little,” explains Luke Cerveny, director of residential services in the shelter. “Plus, teens grow out of their shoes very quickly, and many of them wear tattered, ill-fitting shoes. They were so excited to bring them back and show them off.”
“It was so overwhelming, I teared up,” adds youth counselor Jenaime Taylor, who accompanied the group on their shopping trip. “They were like little kids in a candy store they were so happy.”
And they are still excited about the shoes. Even 13-year-old Ian, notorious for his ambivalence toward hygiene (“You always know what he had for lunch,” Jenaime jokes) has refused to wear his new sneakers to school lest they become scuffed or muddy.
Thank you, A.J. and Cathy. And thank you to all the folks who are willing to put themselves in the shoes of kids who have so little, but dream of so much more.
