HAMILTON, Ohio — When Just a Pair of Shoes founder Matt Cline got his first pair of nice new shoes in the sixth grade, he “felt electric.”
And he believes his Dayton-based nonprofit founded in 2017 made 120 students at Highland Elementary in Hamilton feel that same way on Tuesday afternoon.
Cline was picked on as a kid, telling the kids about how he had a black pair of shoes with a hole, which showed his bright white socks. He colored that spot with a black marker every day. But when he got a new pair of shoes, he said it changed his life. He felt as if he could run faster and jump higher, and while it was only a psychological impact that made him feel that way, it gave him confidence.
“Once you have the confidence, you start to excel at anything,” he said.
The shoe give away was seven months in the making said Highland Principal Ryan Britton. The gym on Tuesday afternoon was booming with excitement and confidence as kids rushed to put on their new shoes, and some even a pair of the three pairs of new Bomba socks.
“The simple act of a new pair of shoes goes a really long way,” he said of the event that was a collaborative effort between the school, Kettering Health Hamilton, Just a Pair of Shoes and the Cincinnati Bengals. Bengals safety Daijahn Anthony, defensive end Kris Jenkins, tight end Erick All, and running back Chase Brown came to celebrate and play with the kids.
Highland students ran football drills with Bengals players, played basketball, played six-on-six football and possibly designed the next pair of cleats to be worn in an NFL game, just as Indianapolis Colts tight end Drew Ogletree did last year with Project: Dream Cleats. Just a Pair of Shoes’ contest saw Dayton area kids have their designs encompassed into a pair of cleats worn by the Dayton Northridge graduate, and this year’s contest runs until Oct. 28.
“To see our students, who come from numerous different backgrounds, coming together to be able to feel of our Highland community, our greater Cincinnati community, is just a tremendous feeling,” Britton said.
Kettering Health Hamilton President Paul Hoover said they are committed to the health and wellness in the community, and becoming active is “the single-best thing you can do to take care of yourself.”
“When you lace up a new pair of shoes, it is a passport to adventure, it’s a passport to fun, and it’s amazing how sports brings us together as a community,” he said. “In today’s world, we need to work better together and it’s an opportunity to be active and to have fun.”
Britton said he’s not sure how often this event could come back to Highland Elementary, but would welcome the opportunity.
“Each and everyday here at Highland, we work to bring our community together, and all the differences make us that unique and wonderful place that we call school everyday,” he said. “And this is just an addition that just enhances that value on a really wide scale.”
