Camden Grant crouched in the hallway of Booker T. Washington Elementary School Tuesday afternoon with an ambitious look in her eyes.
A few weeks prior, the teenager read books to students during a literacy event.
Today, the eighth-grade student at Randall Middle School went back to make a difference.
“After that, I just wanted to find a way to get involved and volunteer here because I was very touched by the great big smiles on their face,” said Camden.
Randall Middle School is a huge proponent of service-learning projects. When Camden took a trip to BTWE to do a reading lesson, she learned a lot more than she expected. At BTWE, 99 percent of students are on a free or reduced lunch program.
Camden was also surprised to notice many kids didn’t have shoes that fit properly.
So she started Soles Shaping Souls, a fundraising effort aimed at raising money so that each BTWE student can have a “brand new pair of ‘soles’ before summer break, so that their ‘souls’ can run, jump, and play all summer.”
To get that movement going, she measured children’s feet on Tuesday.
“It’s just immense pride,” said her mom, Laurie Bumberg. “I just imagine what her future holds and the type of person that she is. To come up with all this on her own, it makes me very proud and hopeful for her future.”
Camden has raised over $1,600 through her Go Fund Me page. She has also partnered with BTWE and Randall’s Parent Teacher Student Association to reach her goal of providing shoes for all students.
“I’ve just provided her a building and students and Camden has run with the whole program herself,” said Booker T. Washington Principal Jamie Gerding. “This is one of those moments where you can’t express it with words. It makes your heart happy.”
Camden hopes the mission blesses the soles and souls of the kids at BTWE.
“You should always give back to your community,” said Camden.
To make a donation, visit the GoFundMe Page: www.gofundme.com/soles-shaping-souls.
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