A gift from the H.E.A.R.T.: Albany group’s annual shoe giveaway to hand out 300 pairs of shoes this week
Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin
By Alan Mauldin
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ALBANY — It was mostly all smiles during an annual shoe giveaway to Dougherty County elementary school students on Tuesday, but a thankful remark from one of the recipients caused Gloria Garner to wipe a tear from her eye.
“She told me, ‘Stay blessed,’” Garner excitedly told other members of the H.E.A.R.T. Organization on the first of two days this week during which they will distribute some 300 pairs of athletic shoes.
H.E.A.R.T., which stands for Hands Extended Across Reaching Together, has been donating shoes to Dougherty County children since 2009, and the first stop this year was Turner Elementary School.
Along with shoes, Garner, Anne Johnson and Renaye Lewis handed out lots of hugs to grateful students. Other stops over Wednesday and Thursday were set for Morningside Elementary, Northside Elementary and Robert Harvey Elementary schools.
Asked what he plans to do first with his new shoes, delivered boxed and in a red backpack, Dante Dios said he didn’t know.
“I feel happy,” he said. “They gave us new shoes. I’m really thankful to the H.E.A.R.T. Organization for giving us these shoes.”
In all, about 53 pairs of shoes were distributed at Turner.
“I love it,” Garner said. “It’s just such a blessing to see the kids experience it and know we want them just to have fun. I just love children.
“All of my kids and five grandkids are out of town, so that’s why I enjoy coming here. That’s why I had to wipe away a tear.”
H.E.A.R.T., formed by Procter & Gamble employees in 1980, is dedicated to making a difference in the community and is still funded through volunteers who give their time to giving back.
When all four school visits are completed this year, the organization will have given away more than 7,000 pairs of shoes, said Johnson, president of the organization.
“We hit a milestone this year: 7,200 pairs,” she said. “Turner is first because it’s our partnership in excellence school.”
This year the group was assisted by Feeding the Valley Food Bank, which helped with shipping the shoes from the supplier in Texas and the Albany Community Builders Association.
“The Community Builders came on site to help us sort these 300 pairs of shoes,” Johnson said. “P&G, as a company, continues to help with the work the H.E.A.R.T. group does.”
Like Garner and Johnson, Lewis has been making the school visits to pass out shoes for years, and she also felt the love passed between the givers and the recipients.
“It just warms your heart to see these kids so appreciative,” she said. “They care about what we did because they all enjoyed it, saying ‘You be blessed’ (and) ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’”
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