Johnell Ward knows firsthand the power of a good pair of shoes.
“First day of school, never mind the T-shirt,” he said. “You wanted the outfit, true, but if your shoes were on point, you were the guy, or you were the girl. You felt confident.”
But Ward, who grew up in foster care after her parents died aged 6, rarely had this bluster on her side: “I know what it’s like to feel less than, to not not have that confidence, to always look at my appearance.”
Through his non-profit organization JCW Kicks for Kids, he now hopes to take these superficial concerns out of the social and financial equation for a new generation of children, by giving away free shoes around Bakersfield and beyond.
“If we can get them to focus more on their image,” Ward said, “that gives us ways to talk to them about academics, sports, or any after-school programs they have.”
On Friday afternoon, Thompson Junior High became the latest in a series of schools to receive a donation from Kicks for Kids, when Ward and his friends stopped by with some 300 shoeboxes. In its six-year history, the company has made seven donations of this magnitude and five smaller ones, Ward said.
In short, as Pastor Justin Greer says, “We’re going to take in kids, we’re going to schools, we’re going to churches, and we’re blessing them with shoes.”
The celebration at Thompson featured a parade of seventh and eighth graders whose teachers wanted to reward them for hitting passing grades after risking failure, Ward said.
Ward sees shoe donations as a gateway to broader mentorship. That goal became clear in his address to the assembled eighth-graders, in which he encouraged them to make smart choices over the next five years before entering college.
“Inside you, there’s an older version of you that’s relying on you right now to make the right decision,” Ward said.
The speech would not be complete without an extra prompt. Ward announced that all students who made it to the honor roll would be entered into a raffle for a PlayStation 5, a revelation that sent murmurs through the crowd.
Then came the time to line up and get the shoes – mostly Vans, in individually labeled shoeboxes, laid out on the grass and patiently handed out by school staff. Ward said he takes sneaker choice seriously and that his own kids are “sneakerheads.”
“If I didn’t buy them for my child,” he said, “I wouldn’t want to put them (on) any other child.”
Early reviews were positive.
“Some people are so amazing for giving us free shoes,” said eighth-grader Mario Salgado. “I am grateful.”
Journalist Henry Greenstein can be reached at 661-395-7374. Follow him on Twitter: @HenryGreenstein.
