High school senior in Henry County is donating shoes to those in need

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — 17-year-old Caleb Sanders says you’d have to be headed to elementary, middle, or high school to really understand what it’s like.

“I think it’s important for confidence. You don’t have to worry about people saying anything about your shoes or anything like that,” Sanders told Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen.

Channel 2 Action News first spoke with Sanders a year ago as he launched a sneaker collection drive in Henry County called Kicks 4 Kids.

With the help of Stockbridge City Council member Yolanda Barber and Stockbridge First United Methodist Church, more than 300 pairs were donated and distributed.

“You look at self-esteem. You look at how they see themselves. If they feel good about themselves, I believe they do better in school,” Pastor Lavell Sanders said.

Caleb is a high school basketball standout at Eagles Landing Christian Academy and he says some of the players on opposing teams didn’t always own a good pair of sneakers.

He decided to try to help lace up as many local schoolchildren as possible. He hopes to nearly double the number of pairs they gave away a year ago.

“When you see people get new things that maybe couldn’t get them on their own, it inspired me to want to help people again,” Sanders said.

The Kicks 4 Kids collection dates are this Saturday and next Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Stockbridge First United Methodist Church.

The shoes will be distributed at a Stockbridge back-to-school event at the end of the month.