ASB will be hosting a shoe drive during the week of May 5 called Step by Step. The shoes will be donated to the From Our Feet foundation.

“The project’s purpose is to get thousands of shoes so that kids around the world can have shoes,” Assistant Principal and ASB adviser Cristy Dawson said.

The foundation’s mission is to improve the lives of as many people as possible by providing them with shoes.

In the past, ASB raised money through the Pennies for Patients drive, a successful fundraiser for cancer patients. However, this spring ASB felt it was time to do something different and original.

Along with the change of donation item, there will also be a change in competition. The competition will be between the four grade levels instead of the second period classes. The change was made to fuel competition and get more people to participate.

“People are more passionate about their classes,” ASB Vice President Becca Kaufman said. “Plus it’s easier to do it this way.”

Competition was not an element of the food drive last fall, and ASB realized that without it, students were not as motivated to participate. According to Becca, ASB has decided to bring back the competitive spirit and hopes that he incentive will encourage students to bring in all of their “gently worn” shoes.

The shoes will be put in four containers that will be visible to the entire school. ASB believes that if the students can see how their class is doing, it will help to increase participation and raise more shoes. The prize for the winning class is yet to be determined.

The idea of having a drive for raising shoes was devised by sophomore Michael Cramer, who was planning to organize the drive on his own. ASB stepped in because they believed they could produce a more successful schoolwide drive than Michael could by himself. Michael, along with juniors Elior Ilishah and Neal Winterbotham, will help ASB organize the drive.

Michael held a drive early this year for the cross-country team, raising 90 pairs of shoes in less than a week.

“We often take shoes for granted,” Michael said. “And when I realized how important shoes were for a healthy life, I knew I needed to help the people who aren’t as lucky as we are.”

ASB hopes the fact that Michael had so much success in a short period of time will translate into a great drive for ASB and prove to be very beneficial to the people who need the shoes.