ALTON - The Friends for David Goins organization donated to All God’s Children Shall Have Shoes, a local nonprofit that provides new shoes and socks to area students.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Mayor David Goins and the Friends for David Goins group recently sponsored the Mayor’s Ball to raise funds for Goins’s campaign and All God’s Children Shall Have Shoes. Goins noted his excitement to donate to the organization.
“It’s because of the work they do and me seeing the work firsthand and being a part of it. I enjoy it. Our police officers come out to help, our police chief, fire chief, fire department. It’s just a great community event,” Goins said. “Seeing what they do and being a part of it, coming out here and watching, helping the kids, getting to be a part of it and walk around with a child to help them select shoes — when I saw how many kids were coming, we just thought that this would be the perfect charitable organization that we can donate a portion of our proceeds from the Mayor’s Ball to.”
All God’s Children Shall Have Shoes is a nonprofit that purchases shoes for over 700 local kids in December. They bring in students from 25 different schools in the community and take them to Famous Footwear at the Alton Square Mall. There, volunteers measure the kids’ feet and help them pick out shoes and socks in the correct size.
“It’s right at Christmas, so it’s the perfect time of the year,” said Patrick “Doc” Halliday, one of the organization’s founders. “The kids get to pick their own, which they probably never got the chance to do that, and it’s the name brand stuff that they love.”
The volunteers are often community members from Alton and Godfrey, including police officers and firefighters. Goins has also volunteered with the organization before. The nonprofit operates solely on donations from local businesses, organizations and community groups.
This year’s Mayor’s Ball was sneakers-themed, so all attendees wore sneakers. Sheila Goins, the First Lady of Alton and chair of the Mayor’s Ball, noted that it was a “win-win” to donate to All God’s Children Shall Have Shoes. A portion of the event’s proceeds — $3,500 — was donated to the organization on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
Sue Wooden, an organizer with All God’s Children Shall Have Shoes, pointed out that each child’s shoes cost about $50. She said it meant a lot to receive the donation and know that many kids will get the shoes they need because of it.
“Children love to see the firemen and police officers at a young age, and then that inspires them to maybe be a fireman or policeman,” she added. “We love it. And we get to hear the children’s stories, their family’s stories, what’s going on in their life. Everybody gets to spend a couple of minutes with them.”
For more information about All God’s Children Shall Have Shoes, including how to donate, visit their official Facebook page.
More like this:
