November 9, 2005
Boots for Kids takes steps to stop cold
Program collects donations to provide winter boots, socks, hats, mittens and tolietries for students at six area schools
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
When the cold and snow finally hit this winter, hundreds of area kids will have warm and dry feet thanks to the Boots for Kids program.
Serving students in six area schools, Boots for Kids provides children in need with a new, properly sized pair of boots plus two pairs of new socks, a hat and mittens, toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss. The schools involved are Blair Elementary, Interlochen, Traverse Heights and Glenn Loomis Elementary schools in the Traverse City district as well as Buckley Elementary School and St. Mary's of Hannah in Kingsley.
Boots for Kids is now accepting cash donations to buy boots through December 9. The Boots for Kids program has collection boxes at locations around the Traverse City area, including Golden Shoes, Tractor Supply Company, East Catholic Federal Credit Union and Huntington Banks. The program is also accepting in-kind donations of new socks, hats and mittens.
Students chosen for the program by their school will then be measured individually and the boots ordered through Golden Shoes and other area retailers.
"We try to measure their boots a little big so maybe they can fit next year," said Don Schmuckal, the program's co-founder. "We hope that they pass them on to siblings or someone else in need."
As heating costs rise and gas prices stay up, too many area families cannot find the money for new boots after paying for all the family's expenses, noted Marj Middel, school social worker at Blair Elementary School.
"It's really a blessing and we are very grateful for Don Schmuckal and Golden Shoes," said Middel. "The kids are very excited, they love Boot Day [when the boots are delivered in December.] They open up their locker and there's a new pair of boots."
The fundraising is key to serving everyone in need and Boots for Kids organizers are in high gear to get the word out and the dollars in. Last year more than 100 donors contributed $16,000 to the cause.
"Sometimes we fall short, that's why donations are so important," noted Middel. "It all started with the thought that no child should be without boots in Michigan in winters and we had many kids who did not, so that's where the boots program came in."
Schmuckal organized Boots for Kids in 2001, launching it with a grant from the Art and Mary Schmuckal Family Foundation. He based it on a program with the same mission founded by Karen and Jerry Buell in the 1980s.
For years, the Buells, who owned Blondie's Diner in Blair Township, raised and donated money to buy boots for students at Blair and to other area human service agencies. When the restaurant closed and the Buells retired, the program ended. Schmuckal stepped in after a year or two lull and has since expanded the program to serve more schools and more feet. That first year back in business four winters ago, Boots for Kids provided 285 pairs of boots.
Bill Golden of Golden Shoes downtown provides the measurement and fitting expertise as well as helps order many of the boots at the best price possible. He has been involved in the program since it's early days with the Buells, determined to make sure kids' boot needs are taken care of during the winter.
"It's something that the parents don't have to buy for them," noted Golden. "Even a less expensive pair of boots can cost $20 plus there's the price of a hat and mittens and socks."
"There's such a need for this in the area," he added. "The letters we get back say, 'Now we can go outside.' They're like any other kids, they don't want to be noticed by not being able to go outside."
For more information on the Boots for Kids program or to make a cash or in-kind donation, contact Schmuckal at 883-6862 or by mail at P.O. Box 179, Grawn, 49637.