Sandals, tennis shoes, dress shoes — most in pairs, but a few single soles — have been piling up in the front hallway of North Bend Elementary School.
The pile is being collected for Haiti quake relief efforts by students in Shari Myers fourth grade class. The drive carries on the mission of Molly Hightower, a Port Orchard woman who died in the Jan. 12 earthquake while working to help physically disabled Haitian orphans.
Myers’ daughter Kelsey, a North Bend substitute teacher, was one of Hightower’s good friends; the pair met in college, when Hightower’s older sister was Kelsey’s sorority sister.
In Haiti, Hightower worked to provide footwear for orphans, who were often barefoot or had only one shoe.
Supporting the Hightower family, the Myers attended her funeral, which Shari said was moving and incredible.
“It was very sad, but also uplifting, because the family’s approach is now to take and carry on this mission,” Myers said.
Inspired to follow the Hightower’s lead in continuing Molly’s mission, Shari felt supporting the mission would be a good way for her fourth grade class to give back to those who needed help in Haiti.
“We were doing a biography project and talking about why certain people have made a positive impact, so it came at a perfect time,” she said.
Sharing Molly’s story and mission, her class reaction was, ‘We’ve got to do this and carry on her mission,’ Myers said.
“All these kids in Haiti are really poor,” said student Samantha Smith. “They don’t have shoes or any place to stay after the earthquake. It’s good that they’re getting shoes and money.”
Now an official donation site for Molly’s mission, North Bend Elementary is accepting shoes of every size, color and type, as long as they are clean, new or gently used.
Single shoes are accepted, due to the growing number of amputees.
“We’re going to try and get this out to everyone to get the whole community involved,” Myers said.
North Bend Elementary will be collecting shoes until Thursday, Feb. 25. All donations can be dropped off in the front of the school.
