Shoes for Hope and Opportunity

The Kidsfest Running and Reading Club and Brooks have paired up to bring underprivileged children a runner’s most important tool – shoes. Silvia Ruegger, director of the Kidsfest Running and Reading Club, 1984 Olympian and Canadian women’s marathon record holder, remembers the first pair of shoes that she ran in, a pair of yellow Ponys with a blue strip and a full-shell rubber sole. “I remember getting my first real pair of shoes and feeling so motivated when I opened the box, that someone had that belief in me, and cared enough to make sure I had the right equipment,” says Ruegger. She wants to share the feeling.

In April, the Running Room donated one pair of shoes to the Kidsfest Running and Reading Club for every $150 spent on Brooks merchandise. Individuals and corporations can also make shoe donations and other promotions will follow. On paper, the Kidsfest Running and Reading Club seems simple: underprivileged elementary school children meet once a week for two hours to run and read, and at the end of the year they run a 5K race. On their way to the finish line, they learn how to set achievable goals and to succeed at difficult tasks.

When Ruegger first started the club in 2004; she quickly noticed a big problem – a lack of adequate footwear. “Many don’t own a pair of running shoes, or they have been passed down from their older siblings,” says Ruegger. “When we get them in the right pair of shoes, 100 per cent of children will say, ‘They are too big; I can move my toes.'”

In 2004 Kidsfest made a deal with Brooks to buy shoes for a good price and found that there were no more complaints about sore feet. Four years later, Brooks agreed to manufacture shoes specifically for the club. Ruegger worked closely with Steve Smith Sr., the vice-president of athletic footwear at Brooks Running Canada, to develop a durable and stable shoe with lasting style to go from the playground to training at the Running and Reading Club. Smith focused on quality, keeping the same base as an adult shoe, but adding fun colours and stripes.

Kidsfest founder Brian Warren says he wants to give underprivileged children what they need to be able to compete on equal footing with other children. “The first thing they do when they get their new pair of shoes is smell them – they do not want to put them on,” says Warren. “Most underprivileged children have never had a new pair of shoes, and that unused smell is one of hope and opportunity.” Warren, a two-time CFL Grey Cup champion, says he has achieved his dreams, and founded Kidsfest to help Canada’s children achieve theirs.

On May 30, clubs from Toronto and the surrounding area will meet at York University for the 5K race. The location is significant – university could be another goal to be achieved.