A young Phoenix boy is taking his love of shoes and turning it in to a service project to help kids in need.
Twelve-year-old Jackson Sriro will tell you he's a "sneakerhead."
“I don’t really know. It just feels cool to be wearing a nice pair of shoes," Jackson said.
That’s why he’s trying to collect 25,000 pairs of shoes by October, so that kids around the world can have that same feeling.
“I want kids who don’t have a pair of shoes to have a pair of shoes, because I love shoes, and I want other kids to enjoy them too," Jackson said.
For his upcoming Bar Mitzvah, he made this project his goal. He got involved with the nonprofit Soles 4 Souls global campaign and found that millions of kids in third world countries go barefoot every day.
“If you don’t have a pair of shoes in certain countries, you’re not allowed to go to school," Jackson said.
Jackson and his family are turning to the community to help with this goal. They already started collecting shoes in their garage.
Besides gently worn shoes, they need rubber bands, trash bags and someone to donate storage space that can hold 25,000 pairs of shoes.
His mother, Jennifer Sriro, said it's teaching him to be grateful for what he has.
"...Not everybody goes out to buy shoes," Sriro said. "He's learned a lot; sometimes people have more than what they need."
They've set up collection bins at the following Orange Theory Fitness locations in Phoenix:
- 1902 E. Highland Avenue;
- 742 E. Glendale Avenue Unit 172
- 109 N. 44th Street Unit D401.
- Donations can also be dropped off at the ASU Hillel located at 1012. S. Mill Avenue in Tempe.
"It feels nice to know that around the world, kids that don’t have shoes will be able to get a pair," Jackson said.
