When the Varsity Soccer teams found out the Homecoming game would be a soccer game this year, they decided it would be a great opportunity to get involved in charity. Joined up with Community Action and Service, the teams began a shoe drive Souls4Soles, a nonprofit which combats poverty by collecting and distributing shoes and clothing, as a shoe drive seemed like the perfect fit for a soccer team and many closets are full of shoes that are never worn. They also contacted the Sanneh Foundation, established by Saint Paul Academy and Summit School alum Tony Sanneh (’90),  who will receive the donations of athletic shoes from students.

“It is awesome to be able to support a former SPA student and soccer player who is out there changing the world for the better,” Girls Varsity Soccer Co-Captain Taylor Rients said.

Rients said the team saw the drive as a great way do some good. “We thought most people have a pair of shoes they are not using anymore, and we could get support from the SPA students and community to help us make a difference for others.”

The drive has been as successful as the teams hoped, culminating in over 10 bags full of shoes to be donated.

“We don’t  always think about how an old pair of shoes at the bottom of our closet could mean a great deal to someone who doesn’t have a pair of shoes,” Rients said, “and it feels good knowing that by donating a pair of shoes you are doing something good.”