There are over 300 million children who walk barefoot around the world, and four juniors at Southlake Carroll are working to change that.
Earlier this spring, Jack Lu, Kasra Kiani, Aydin Kurani and Kenneth Fambro co-founded the Carroll Shoe Drive Club to collect footwear for improvised communities. Jack was first inspired to start the club after working with kids without shoes during a volunteer trip in Haiti. When Kasra, Aydin and Kenneth heard about his initiative, they decided to step in and help support the club.
“It started with me donating five pairs to him last year,” Kasra says. “We collected shoes by setting up boxes at school and offering volunteer hours to students as an incentive to donate.”
The quartet’s original goal was to donate 100 pairs of shoes, but by their first drive, they had gathered well over 300. This summer, they aspire to provide over 500 pairs of shoes to Haiti, Iran and throughout the DFW Metroplex.
“For us, it’s more than just donating shoes to kids,” Kasra says. “It’s about fostering connections across borders and standing together in unity with those in need. The fact that we know the shoes are going to people who genuinely need them makes us more proud of what we have accomplished as we realize the impact we are having on others.”
If you would like to support the Carroll Shoe Drive Club, drop off items at their donation boxes at Carroll High and Senior High School or message them at @carrollshoedriveclub on Instagram.