When it comes to charity, SHS junior Zack Bonebright is doing his part to lend a helping hand. In collaboration with the SHS Student Senate and an organization called Soles4Souls, Bonebright organized a shoe drive here at the high school to donate shoes to people in need.

To get the shoe drive in motion, Bonebright reached out to local businesses to provide incentives for donations. He also worked with SHS assistant principal Liz Hrodey, Senate Adviser Kathleen Kasberg, and the Student Senate to organize everything, and he is thankful for their help with the project.

“I found out about [the project] from a coworker who came to America from Gambia, and he experienced firsthand poverty over there, so he donates a lot of shoes and bikes. I really liked the idea, and I wanted to help in my own way, and I figured the school would be a great platform to send some shoes over to Africa to kids who are a lot less fortunate than we are,” Bonebright says of the project.

Donations through the school were accepted until May 14 using Soles4Souls, and 51 pairs of shoes were ultimately donated. 

“It’s difficult to find an organization because you want to find one that doesn’t affect the economy within the country and is a genuine organization. We looked through probably about five organizations to find one that was perfectly suited for what we were looking for, that doesn’t affect the economic status of the small communities and was ethically able to get the shoes to a wide variety of people, not just an isolated group,” Bonebright says.

Overall, Bonebright expressed his gratitude for the people who helped him with the project his ability to give back to the community.