Huntsville lawyer donates shoes for kids headed back to school

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ( WHNT ) — A Huntsville lawyer is giving students new shoes, a back-to-school staple.

Tyler Mann has teamed up with Academy Sports and the Trash Pandas for the past four years to donate shoes to the Madison County non-profit HEALS . A week of fundraising has culminated in cartfuls of shoes on their way to kids in need.

“We have given away 1,500 pairs of shoes to kids right here in the area,” Mann said.

Mann understands the impact that new shoes can have on kids.

“When this opportunity was presented to me, it was a natural fit,” Mann said. “I’m a sneaker head, so anything to do with shoes, I’m all in.”

This year, Mann is donating $3,000 worth of shoes. Academy Sports is matching that number in gift cards.

“HEALS is great because it’s right here, and you can see it working,” Mann said.

Providing new shoes is an important part of HEALS’s work, but it is not its only mission. The Madison County non-profit also provides medical care for kids while they are at school.

“With us being located within the schools, it eliminates transportation, so the kids are there, and the parents can feel comfortable,” said HEALS Executive Director Heather Mason. “We can go get their kids from class and bring them over to see the physician, the dentist or the optometrist.”

More than 56,000 kids in Madison County qualify for the services HEALS provides.

“You just see their faces light up, and they get so excited,” Mason said. “They know that they’re going to be able to have that pair of shoes when they go back to school.”

Receiving medical care and a new pair of shoes means many students will be healthy and looking their best as they return to the classroom.

HEALS takes donations of new, child-size shoes all year long. If you would like to donate, you can drop them off at the HEALS Administrative Office, located at 515 Sparkman Drive, or bring them to Tyler Mann’s office, located at 200 Clinton Ave W #405.

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