Church provides shoes to children

Ja'Shon Jenkins couldn't stop smiling as he received his new pair of tennis shoes Wednesday.

The 4-year-old raced across the room at the Aiken Headstart preschool, slapped a high five at a visitor from First Baptist Church of North Augusta and dashed to give a hug to another church visitor, Ginger Dickert.

Working through the national Laces 4 Love program, First Baptist volunteers for the past decade have provided shoes at no cost to children in need. Coordinator Mark Owens said about 1,800 pairs of shoes were distributed to public elementary schools in Aiken, Edgefield and McCormick counties. Volunteers also visited the Gloverville Headstart on Wednesday and traveled to Headstart facilities in Ridge Spring and Salley Thursday.

"It never gets old," Owens said. "We love spending time with the kids and seeing their smiles and working with schools like Headstart. We used to do this only at Christmas, but now our volunteer base is at such a high level that we can do this throughout the year."

This is a great opportunity for the children and parents, said Headstart family services manager Beverly Ashley.

"It fills the children's hearts and fills us with joy to see the children with their new shoes," she said. "They're so grateful, and we're grateful, too, that such an organization is willing to do this for the community."

Sharon Fleeman, who recently retired as a Sunshine House executive, was volunteering with Laces 4 Love for the first time.

"This is obviously a treat," Fleeman said. "I love doing anything that keeps me involved in the school system and being around children."

The church depends on donations for the tennis shoe program, Owens said.

"People donate to the cause because they believe in what we do," he said. "It's an opportunity help parents or guardians who are trying to provide for their kids. This can take a bit of the burden off them."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.