Warming hearts and feet
Employees from North 40, and Southside Elementary administration help every student make sure their new snow boots fit perfectly.
(Photo courtesy SOUTHSIDE ELEMENTARY)
Principal TJ Clary helped one of his student fit a new pair of boots
Southside Elementary student group together to show off their new boots, courtesy of the "Give Cold Feet the Boot" campaign.
SANDPOINT — Southside Elementary stole the spotlight at Lake Pend Oreille School Board’s meeting last week by warming the hearts of the community and the feet of the students with the Cold Boot Giveaway.
Southside Elementary principal TJ Clary told the board last Wednesday's meeting the good news about the giveaway. Cleary told the board that “by 1 p.m.”, earlier that afternoon every student had been fitted with a brand new pair of snow boots — just in time for winter.
“Thanks to an awesome partnership with various businesses and the state of Idaho,” LPOSD communication liaison, Kristen Hawkins, said.
For the fourth year North 40, Optum Idaho, and D&B Supply came together to sponsor the “Give Cold Feet the Boot” campaign, supplying students in ten Idaho Title I schools with winter footwear.
In a press release issued by Optum, it was said that the campaign came from the awareness that improper seasonal clothing can impact a child's mental, and physical health taking a larger toll on their education. Optum officials said the campaign is meant to aid families with the knowledge of how strenuous winter clothing can be for some families during the holiday season.
“Optum’s ‘Give Cold Feet the Boot’ efforts allows for a community partnership to help ensure we are working together on addressing basic needs for some of our most vulnerable Idahoans – children,” Georganne Benjamin, Optum Idaho executive director, said. “By assisting parents or guardians by providing an essential need, like warm boots and socks in the winter, families can focus on other needs and better assist their students with learning priorities.
To show the impact of this campaign, Clary told the board that the cost to supply his students with snow boots and a new pair of socks was not insubstantial. He added that he caught a glimpse of what that price tag looked like at the time of nearly $20,000.
The donation means a great deal to his students, Clary told the board, adding a fourth grader had separated themselves from the other students and seemed a little down. Cleary said that when the student was approached and asked if he was OK, the student replied that he was fine, just taken aback because he had never owned anything brand new. The student said he usually got hand-me-downs from his siblings when it came to clothing and shoes.
“Today was a magical day,” Cleary said.
