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Starting the school year can be nerve wracking; new friends, new classroom, and for some, a new school all together. Imagine starting the new year already behind, with shoes that don’t fit, clothes that are stained or too small, and inadequate school supplies. Many Windermere offices work very hard at the start of the school year to ensure this doesn’t happen for kids in our communities, and our office in Mercer Island, WA took the challenge to a new level by ensuring that more than 300 homeless youth were ready to kick off the school year right.
For the last three years, Windermere Mercer Island has partnered with Mary’s Place for their annual #KicksforKids back-to-school drive. Mary’s Place provides emergency and transitional housing for homeless families in the greater Seattle area. While most homeless shelters cater to adults, Mary’s Place helps ensure families can stay together, providing the support and stability kids really need while waiting for permanent housing solutions.
Three years ago, Windermere partnered with Mary’s Place, calling on multiple area offices to help provide shoes, and our Mercer Island office really took this shoe-raiser to heart. Each year their office has upped the ante, gathering more shoes, and supporting more kids! This year, new shoes were donated by agents, staff, clients, and the Mercer Island community, with the office matching donations, collecting a grand total of 432 pairs for kids of all ages and sizes.
On Wednesday, August 31, 11 Windermere agents and staff spent the day at Mary’s Place North Seattle Emergency Shelter, delivering and organizing shoes, and acting as personal shoppers for more than 300 kids. After a giant pizza party, a personal shopper helped each child find a new pair of fitting shoes. From pre-school to high school, the joy of a new pair a of kicks was palatable, reminding us all that something as small as a pair of shoes can make a big difference for a kid’s confidence at the start of the school year.
Thank you to Mary’s Place for all the incredible work you do within our community to help families who need shelter, services, and hope. And thank you to the Windermere Real Estate Mercer Island office for taking the #Kicks4Kids drive to a whole new level. Together we can make a difference!
