Every year, Two Ten has direct impact on thousands of lives across our industry community. Footwear colleagues experiencing hardship due to a major illness or injury, the loss of a loved one, a divorce or separation, or a layoff. Colleagues struggling to rebuild their lives after a natural disaster like a hurricane or wildfire. Colleagues seeking educational opportunities to improve their career prospects and lift their families. In just the past year Two Ten granted over $2M in emergency financial assistance to more than 2,250 footwear families experiencing hardship or disaster. We also awarded more than 200 professional development grants and college scholarships to footwear employees and their dependents, allowing these individuals to grow and thrive.
“I'm at a loss for words. My heart is still healing. But putting things in order and putting my dad to rest the way he would have wanted is important. Two Ten helped us do that.”
“I began working in footwear when my father suffered a stroke, hoping to help my mother with expenses. She’d love to put me through college, but she's the sole provider for my family now so this scholarship is vital.”
“If I can’t pay the rent by Monday my family and I will be put out of our apartment and we don’t have anywhere to go.”
“I will be the first in my family to earn a degree. I take pride in that. After I do this I'll know I can achieve anything I set my mind to—and so will my son.”
“The storm caused a water crisis in my town. We have no running water and don't know when service will be restored. This assistance will help us find somewhere to stay until we're allowed back in our home.”
Leshawn has an entrepreneur’s resilience but when she called Two Ten for help, she knew she was in trouble. A burst water pipe had flooded her home. The ceilings in three rooms collapsed. And she’d not only lost treasured personal possessions but also all the inventory for her shoe boutique. She was in desperate need of help to recover from this disaster.
When Judith was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer she knew she had a long journey of chemotherapy and surgery ahead of her. The financial hardship she faced only added to worries. A relief grant from Two Ten eased her concerns about how to pay the rent while she was unable to work and missing regular paychecks, giving her the peace of mind she needed to focus her energy on healing and staying strong.
Daniel was working in the warehouse of a footwear wholesaler when the business closed abruptly. A relief grant from Two Ten helped him provide for his family while he looked for a new job in footwear. A few years later he was working full time, volunteering with at-risk youth, and earning a degree to improve his long-term career prospects with the help of a Two Ten scholarship.
Mark and his wife both work in footwear. They’d seen its ups and downs. But just as Mark's company went through a restructuring and he lost his job as a product director, his wife was diagnosed with cancer. Mark was able to find a new job and when his wife finished treatment she did, too. But neither new job would start for a few months and they'd already burned through their savings. They were behind on bills when they called Two Ten.
Marion’s infant daughter needed emergency heart surgery and she had to be with her baby even though it meant time off without pay. The financial stress caused a breakup and that left her in an even worse position since it had taken two incomes to maintain the household. Now she was the sole provider for the kids, behind on bills, and facing accumulating medical debt. She was worried about being able to buy food and making the rent.
A hemorrhagic stroke left footwear employee Michael completely incapacitated. He was in the ICU for months then spent several more months in a nursing facility. But insurance didn't cover accommodations he needed to return to his home and he was also behind on his mortgage payments. His family held local fundraisers to help and they also reached out to Two Ten.
Scott and Nancy had supported colleagues going through hard times but never expected to need help themselves. They both had well-established careers in footwear when they met. They married, had a beautiful child, and lived a fairy tale. They thrived - until they didn't. Everything changed when Scott was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Soon he required more care than Nancy could give or afford.
Derek’s story was heart-breaking. He and his wife had just become guardians for his niece and nephew after his brother and sister-in-law died in car accident. They weren't financially prepared to take on two more children, but there was no question that they’d open their home. They just didn’t know how they'd make ends meet. Emergency assistance from Two Ten helped the family get back on their feet.
After her divorce Brooke became a single parent and was left with financial burdens from her ex. She decided the only way out of debt was to put her house on the market. She was already working a second job in footwear and making house payments was just too much for her now that she was the sole provider for her family. She sought financial counseling from Two Ten and asked for help with the security deposit for a new apartment.
A fire in her building caused extensive damage to Hillary's apartment. She tried to sleep there, on the couch in the living room, since her bedroom was unsafe. But the walls and ceilings were damaged, there were electrical shorts, and she suspected there was a growing problem with mold. She called Two Ten seeking emergency assistance to help secure a new apartment.
Dawn needed to replace the wheel bearings in her van. The repair shop said she had no choice. It was dangerous to drive. But she was already behind on her mortgage, in trouble financially because she’d been trying to help her adult children. One daughter was getting cancer treatments and the other, who had three young daughters of her own, was really struggling to keep afloat after her husband’s suicide.
Liz got the call as she was leaving work. Her daughter had been in an accident. She was rushed to the ER but later passed away in the critical care unit. During that time, the last thing Liz wanted to worry about was work. Two Ten helped her find a grief counselor and awarded a hardship relief grant that allowed her to plan a funeral and honor her daughter in the way she wanted.
Dominique's father passed away unexpectedly only a short time after her wedding. She soon found herself not only grieving her father but also financially responsible for a funeral she couldn't afford, not after all the wedding expenses. With the help of Two Ten, she provided a celebration of life her father deserved.
Latandra worked full time in a shoe store when she had to go on maternity leave early due to pregnancy complications. She was not paid for two weeks because her maternity leave had not been approved for the earlier leave date, which caused her financial insecurity and stress. Two Ten helped cover her car payment and insurance, allowing Latandra to focus on her own health and her baby's health.
Sarah completed a degree in supply chain management with the help of a Two Ten Scholarship. The single mom balanced working full time with going to school full time and raising her family. She wanted to be a good role model and show her son that if you set your mind to something you can accomplish it.
Sometimes even those of us who pride ourselves on planning ahead and being prepared need help. That’s what Terry wrote in her application for relief. She never thought she'd be in a position where she needed help, but she had a disabled husband, an ailing mother, a car in dire need of repair, and a dying furnace. Then came the final straw: the shoe company where she worked had gone bankrupt and would soon close.
Corey’s daughter Zoe was born with a heart condition. At the age of 14 she went into cardiac arrest and suffered a stroke then spent five weeks in the ICU. The family was devastated and also increasingly worried about money. Corey couldn’t be on the road for work and also be there for Zoe. But the loss of income, combined with extraordinary medical expenses health insurance wouldn’t fully cover, put the family in crisis.
Jose reached out to Two Ten for help after a major hurricane. His family's home sustained major damage and footwear businesses throughout the region were hit hard, too, which meant Jose’s income as an independent shoe rep dried up overnight. When he applied for a disaster relief grant from Two Ten he was worried about paying the mortgage and making repairs so his home would be livable again.
Jerreka reached out to Two Ten when she was a victim of car theft. It was a double financial blow. Not only was her car fully paid off already at the time it was stolen. That was distressing enough, but worse, it was full of her children’s belongings because they were right in the middle of a move to a new apartment at the time. She'd just stretched to cover the security deposit on her new home and she couldn't afford to replace her kids' clothes, shoes, and toys.
Evan, a shoe store manager, was devastated when his younger sister was diagnosed with leukemia. She was in a hospital several hours away from his home. The cost of gas and tolls started to add up quickly as he was driving back and forth. Plus,he'd used up all his paid time off so he was taking unpaid days. That meant a smaller paycheck, so he was falling behind on bills and couldn't afford basic necessities.
Maisie is a busy mother of three who has been working in footwear retail for the last seven years. When she got sick and had to miss work, she missed a few paychecks and fell behind on her rent. She was getting desperate when a colleague told her about Two Ten. An emergency relief grant helped keep Maisie and her family in their home.
