Share the Spirit gifts new shoes to 280 local children at annual event

Karen Voepel poses with several recipients of new footwear at annual Share the Spirit Foundation event at J&N Shoes in Lamar

It was all smiles on Friday, October 10 as 280 local underserved children each received a new pair of shoes and socks as part of the annual Share the Spirit Foundations’s distribution held at J&N Shoes in Lamar.  Seventeen local volunteers helped with the giveaway which provided shoes to children from 14 area schools.  Each year, local school principals are asked to identify children most in need of new footwear and submit a list of names and shoe sizes to the Foundation prior to the event so that J&N owner Jennifer Stewart can order a variety of shoes in the correct sizes and colors for the event. Many of these children have never had a brand-new pair of shoes to call their own, so they are allowed to choose the pair they want, which helps boost their self-esteem and pride of ownership.

For those not familiar with Share the Spirit Foundation, it began in 2003 by Lamar’s own Karen Voepel and her sister-in-law Tonya Voepel, who lives in Illinois. In 2002 the two women participated in a 60-mile walk from Boulder to Denver as part of the Avon Breast Cancer three-day walk to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer.  During the walk, their talked-about dream of a philanthropic foundation resulted in a plan to form one whose mission would be to ensure underprivileged children had new shoes on their feet, They focused on their respective communities to recruit volunteers and hold fundraisers to make their dream a reality. Their logo sports the mantra of “Good Shoes Take You Amazing Places” and to date, well over 25,000 pairs of shoes have been provided.

Here in Lamar, Share the Spirit recently announced a partnership with The Cornerstone Resource Center to establish a shoe closet, where new shoes and socks will be provided to children on an as-needed basis beginning in January of 2026.  Cornerstone’s director, Rosie Gomez, will oversee this new program.

Voepel wanted to give a shout out to local volunteers who helped with the recent Lamar shoe distribution.  They include: Gail Schroeder, Kenia Vasquez, Claudia Parker, Cindy Rundell, Desiree Ellis, Lauri Davidson, Melissa Buxton, Joe McCaleb, Armando Rodriquez, Dick Peecher, Teresa Salazar, Rosie Gomez, Rose Ann Yates, Jake Chamberlain, Brady Turpin, and “the ever-fabulous” coordinator Chana Reed as well as J&N owner Jennifer Stewart who “always provides the best service and the most amazing shoes”.

Share the Spirit is a non-profit organization totally dependent on donations and run by volunteers, both of which are always needed.  Please visit their website at www.sharethespirit.info for more information on how you can help financially or as a volunteer and follow their Facebook page for information on upcoming fundraisers.

By: Barbara Crimond