HAPPY FEET
Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person
Most parents find the start of the school year a trying and expensive time. Each child needs to be equipped with a school uniform, books, stationery, lunch boxes, water bottles, sports gear and shoes, and for some families on a low income, the economic stress of having to kit out several children impacts significantly on the household budget. Lee-Anne Michelle at the Clutha Budget Advisory Service is very aware of the pressure this puts on people as she works to mentor and support them through times of financial stress.
“We wanted to help in a practical way,” says Lee-Anne, who has worked for the Service since 2005, “And so we settled on the idea of school shoes. Everyone needs shoes and, unlike adults, kids keep growing and so need replacement shoes at least every year. They are also much tougher on their shoes than adults, which makes it harder to hand them down to the next in line, the way you can with other items of clothing.” Lee-Anne was also aware that children without suitable shoes were sometimes not going to school, out of embarrassment, even though many schools are sympathetic to the difficulties some families face. So the Happy Feet project was born.
Lee-Anne approached the Clutha Foundation in 2020 for funding to run a trial project. We were very happy to do so. The back to school period (January 2021) was a very busy time for Lee-Anne. Referrals from schools and community agencies identified families in need of support, and to date the Happy Feet project has sent 40 children to school with good quality school shoes. We are very pleased to be able to support the project again in 2021, along with the Rotary Club of Balclutha.
Once again we have been able to support the Clutha Budget Advisory Service with their “Happy Feet” initiative. This provides funding for families to purchase school shoes for their children to ensure that ‘not having the right shoes’ does not prevent children from attending school. In 2021, this project provided more than 50 pairs of school shoes for children in the Clutha District.
From a Whanau Ora navigator for a client who is a single parent with 4 school aged children: “She is very grateful and thankful for all the support given. Around now can be very stressful for this whanau but this has made it a lot easier for them.”
Single mum of 2 school aged children: “It helped so much. It’s expensive to buy school shoes but to get good quality ones is even harder. It was much appreciated, thank you.”
Parent of 3 school aged children and two preschoolers – single income family: "I was able to buy shoes for three kids, meaning I could use the money we needed for shoes towards other start of school things like stationery and lunchbox fillers.”
GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE
Donating to your community through the Clutha Foundation helps to support projects like this throughout the district. Our smarter giving model means that your donations will continue to provide funding for initiatives like Happy Feet for generations to come. Being a local, Clutha-focused charitable organisation, we can respond to our communities’ needs and ensure your generosity becomes a lasting legacy. Thanks to pass-through funding from the Otago Community Trust we are able to support projects like Happy Feet early on in our journey. With the generosity of our growing number of local donors, we can continue to do so for generations to come.