Happy feet for school kids in need

PICTURED: The Riccarton Rotary Youth Trust donated 800 pairs of school shoes to Kidscan, with a retail value of more than $100,000.

Most New Zealanders would have seen the television campaign run by Kidscan asking for donations of school shoes for children who frequently go to school either barefooted, in incorrectly sized shoes, in shoes falling apart, or in shoes inappropriate for a school environment.

The Riccarton Rotary Youth Trust, an independent arm of the Rotary Club of Riccarton, NZ, heard the call. By sheer coincidence, it had just become aware of a local shoe retailer who had recently closed their business. The owner was contacted, and it was ascertained that they held stock of 800 pairs of suitable shoes – mainly for eight- to 12-year-olds, with a small number for teenagers.

The Riccarton Rotary Youth Trust contacted Kidscan and advised that they were willing to purchase the 800 pairs of shoes and donate them to the cause. The collection was transported to Kidscan’s central warehouse in Auckland from where they were re-distributed nationally. Negotiations with a nationwide transport company saw the shoes moved to Auckland free of charge.

The retail value of the 800 pairs of shoes exceeded $100,000. Thanks to the generosity of the store owner the Riccarton Rotary Youth Trust paid considerably less than this, which enabled it to make the donation.

As its name suggests, the Riccarton Rotary Youth Trust focusses on the needs of young people within the community. It regularly distributes funding for school uniforms, schoolbooks, school assessments, school sports activities, after school activities, and medical and dental care.

It also supports a scholarship to local universities, which run for the entire duration of the chosen course. The scholarship is only available to young people experiencing hardship within the family environment.

Over recent years, the Riccarton Rotary Youth Trust has provided larger scale support to organisations such as KoruCare, Endometriosis New Zealand, The Children’s University, The House of Science and the Christchurch Youth Hub.