Whether it’s a pair of five-inch stilettos or a new pair of sneakers for the kids, Soles for Goals has something for everyone.
And more importantly, this fundraiser at the Vernon Christian School will bring students and staff closer to their goal of building two new sports courts while at the same time helping out the Salvation Army Food Bank.
Soles for Goals is a gently used shoe sale taking place Saturday at the school.
“Students, staff and parents have all brought in shoes to donate,” said Corinne Remple, marketing and communications director for the school. “I came up with the idea after being approached by the athletics director who said they really wanted some new courts and that they would love to help, so we put together a proposal.”
School athletic director Jason Reedyk said the goal is to build two courts: an outdoor sand court suitable for beach volleyball, and a multi-use court for everything from basketball to road hockey.
“We’d been talking about this for awhile and it’s just a great opportunity for students to play, to be involved,” he said. “We were looking at how do we best utilize the space we have, with this gorgeous lake view.
“Plus it’s a great way for the community to be involved, to use our schools and for us to host events here.
“We’re just looking to expand our opportunities for kids here and in the community.”
Remple said with a fundraising goal of $30,000, Saturday’s event is just the beginning.
“I went to the elementary campus and had students saying they wanted to help, by doing a lemonade stand and some other kids want to do a snow cone stand, so bless them for doing that for us,” she said.
Soles for Goals takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Vernon Christian School, 6920 Pleasant Valley Rd. There are shoes for the whole family, from infant to adult, and everyone in between. There will be a door crasher toonie table, and a barbecue between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Anyone with shoes to donate — dress, running, court, snow, rubber, winter work, ski, leather, suede, skates, sandals, rollerblades — can drop them off at the school, where donation boxes have been set up in the lobby of the secondary campus.
“And if people don’t want to buy shoes, we welcome donations to the project — just go to our website at www.vcs.ca and donations are all tax-deductible,” said Remple.
Thanks to the generosity of one of the student’s grandmothers, a $100 gift card to Sport Chek is available to be won by the shopper who purchases the “mystery shoe,” inside of which is the gift card.
Partial proceeds from Soles for Goals will be given to the Salvation Army Food Bank.
