Local High School Student Collects 195 Pairs of Sneakers to Help Children in Need

Green Meadow Waldorf School junior turns her love of athletics into a community-wide effort, collecting footwear with an estimated replacement value of more than $15,000

What began during her sophomore year as one student's idea to help more children experience the confidence, friendship and sense of belonging that can come from participating in sports has grown into a sustained community service effort involving her school, local businesses, families and civic organizations throughout the Nyack area.

Twyla Dawson-Hollis, now a junior at Green Meadow Waldorf School in Chestnut Ridge and a member of her school's track team, created the ReRun Sneaker Drive during her sophomore year to collect gently used athletic sneakers and soccer cleats for children and families who may not otherwise have access to appropriate footwear.

Twyla began the effort at Green Meadow last spring, inviting members of her school community to donate their gently used athletic shoes and cleats. That first collection generated approximately 70 pairs of donated footwear, giving ReRun an early foundation and encouraging Twyla to expand the project beyond her school and into the surrounding community.

Rather than ending the project with the school year, Twyla continued building ReRun through the summer and into her junior year. By the conclusion of the expanded drive, she has collected 195 pairs of sneakers and cleats, with an estimated replacement value of more than $15,000.

The magnitude of the community's response became especially apparent when Twyla and her family recently laid out the collection on their lawn. Sitting in the middle of a sea of donated sneakers and cleats, Twyla was surrounded by pair after pair contributed by members of her school and the broader community.

For Twyla, the motivation behind ReRun comes from her own experiences participating in athletics.

“Athletics have always been a big part of my life. I’ve tried so many sports, and each one has taught me how to work with others and push through challenges,” Twyla said. “I believe every kid should have the same opportunities that I did because I believe some of the most important lessons you learn come from being part of a team.”

Twyla partnered with Share Your Soles, a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes new and gently worn shoes to people in need around the world. The organization's work is

about more than footwear. Access to appropriate shoes can help protect people from injuries and infections, allow children to attend schools where shoes are required, and provide greater dignity, mobility and opportunity to children and adults in underserved communities.

But collecting the shoes was only one part of the project. After beginning ReRun within the Green Meadow community, Twyla looked for ways to broaden its reach. She contacted local businesses and community organizations to ask them to participate, created collection bins and signage for the drive, brought ReRun into the community through the Nyack Farmers Market, and spoke to members of the Nyack Rotary Club about the project and the need she hoped to address.

Nyack Vet, Bach to Rock Nanuet, School of Rock Rockland and the Nyack Chamber of Commerce were among the local organizations that supported ReRun, helping Twyla expand the drive's reach within the community. Area residents responded by contributing sneakers and cleats that might otherwise have remained unused in closets or eventually been discarded.

For Twyla, the project brought together two things that matter deeply to her: athletics and community service.

As a runner, she understands firsthand that a pair of athletic shoes can represent much more than something to wear. For a young person, the right pair of shoes can be an invitation to participate, join a team, become active and feel included.

The growth of ReRun from a school-based collection during Twyla's sophomore year into a broader community effort during her junior year also gave Twyla an opportunity to grow personally. Expanding the drive meant approaching businesses and community organizations, speaking with people she did not know and presenting the project publicly.

“It was really nice to see everybody support my project, not only at my school, but also within my community because it made me realize how many people want to help me and see me succeed,” Twyla said. “This experience really allowed me to work on my public speaking, which was something I previously struggled with. Now, I feel much more confident talking with strangers and speaking in front of others.”

With the collection now complete, Twyla and her family have packed and shipped the 195 pairs of donated sneakers and cleats to Share Your Soles' headquarters in Chicago, where the footwear will be distributed to children and families in need, including recipients in communities around the world.

Shipping such a large collection comes with a significant cost, so Twyla has also created a GoFundMe campaign to help defray the expense of transporting the donated shoes to Share Your Soles.

For Twyla, that is exactly what the name ReRun Sneaker Drive was intended to represent: giving athletic shoes another run while giving another young person an opportunity to participate.