Local Girl Scout troops partnered with Shoe Sensation to provide new shoes and socks to students in the Durant School District. Shown gathering boxes of shoes are, front, Kaitlyn Jones, Chloe Menchaca and Ava Britton. In the back are, Rosalie Menchaca, Lillian Menchaca and Amy Buford. Matt Swearengin | Durant Democrat Matt Swearengin | Durant Democrat Shoe Sensation provided shoes to Girl Scouts at a discount to be donated to the Durant School District. Front row, left, Melinda Scott (Shoe Sensation store manager), Leann Jones (troop leader), Kaitlyn Jones (Girl Scout), Ava Britton (Girl Scout), Lucie Britton (Girl Scout), Rosalie Menchaca (Girl Scout), Chloe Menchaca (Girl Scout) Kaci Menchaca (Troop Leader), Janell Buford (Troop Leader) and Leah Nabors (Durant ISD social worker). Back row, left, Tiany Anderson (Market sales director for Shoe Sensation), Kirsten Robinson (assistant manager Shoe Sensation), Allison Britton (Troop Leader), Lillian Menchaca (Girl Scout) Amy Buford (Girl Scout) and Gary Nichols (Durant ISD social worker).
Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma partnered with Shoe Sensation to provide new shoes and socks to the Durant School District. The shoes and socks will be provided to Durant students in need.
Leah Nabors, school-based social worker for Durant Schools, was excited to receive the shoes and socks.
“I wish you guys could go with us when we take shoes to these kids and see the look on their face when they get a new pair of shoes in a box and a new pair of socks,” Nabors said.
“It is Christmas all over again for them. So please, please, please, remember what you did today is more than earning a patch for your vest or something like that. You are blessing your kids in your class, your friends, other people that you are not aware of that are in need. We cannot express our thanks to you other than job well done.”
Janell Buford, Girl Scout troop leader and a volunteer service unit manager for all the troops in Durant, said the shoe drive was the result of a partnership with Shoe Sensation.
“The girls wanted to give back, and Shoe Sensation offered 10 percent of their proceeds for the final day of the shoe drive and that ended up raising $543 and then we had additional cash donations,” Buford said. “So, we ended up with a total of $653 to spend for additional pairs of shoes and our social workers gave us a list of sizes that they needed specifically for certain students and we’re just really grateful that Shoe Sensation offered partnership and girl scouts work really hard to serve in our community and to give back in any possible way.”
According to Buford, there are children who come to school wearing shoes that don’t fit and have holes in them, making the children uncomfortable.
“But their parents can’t afford to pay for a new pair of shoes and so something Durant ISD social workers and school guidance counselors have always done is to help provide these children in need with donations,” Buford said. “Typically, they are used and so that’s why this is kind of a big deal. We’re giving them new shoes and new socks.”
Melinda Scott, store manager of Shoe Sensation, said not only did the Girl Scouts receive 10 percent off each pair of shoes, but the store also had shoes on sale.
“They got a really good deal because we were having a sale store- wide buy one get one half off on several brands and we had clearance buy one get one half off,” Scott said. “So, they got a lot of good deals and were able to purchase a lot of shoes.”
According to Scott, others donated shoes as well, and 41 pairs of shoes and 226 pairs of socks were collected for the Durant School District.
“This was great,” Scott said. “We really enjoyed it. We love giving back to our community and we work with the school district all year long.”
Scott said Shoe Sensation is planning to put up an angel tree.
“We’ll be taking donations for the angel tree,” Scott said. “We’ll have students’ information on their shoe sizes that they need, and we will be fulfilling all of those as well.”
