There are 688 confirmed cases of child abuse or neglect in Massachusetts each week.
This is a staggering and sobering number in its own right. But to see this visualized is even more impactful and it creates a lasting impression that is hard to shake.
The Children’s Trust of Massachusetts does just that at their annual “Step Up For Kids” event at the Massachusetts State House every April during Child Abuse Awareness Month. This year, on April 24th, 344 pairs of children’s shoes will completely cover the Grand Staircase in the State House with each shoe representing one of these cases. It’s a shock of vibrant color, it’s a shocking number of shoes, and it’s a shocking statistic. But the good work of the Children’s Trust is actually bringing that number down.
Two Ten Footwear Foundation is honored to have an ongoing partnership with the Children’s Trust on this event. Through the generosity of our footwear community, we’ve been able to arrange the donation of all the children’s shoes for the “Step Up For Kids” events for the past three years. This year, all the shoes are being donated by shoes.com, our title sponsor for our Footwear Cares nation-wide, footwear employee volunteer initiative. At the end of the State House event, all the shoes are then given to the children in the eight Children’s Trust Family Centers across the state.
To prepare for the State House display, volunteers help the staff at the Children’s Trust offices with their “Shoe Sort Day” where shoes are taken out of their boxes and tied together. This year’s shoe sort took place on March 29th and it truly symbolized “many hands make light work.” All of us at Two Ten would like to thank shoes.com and all our footwear volunteers for once again exemplifying the great compassion of the footwear industry.
