If the Shoe Fits, Share It

Thanks to some local children, Japanese tsunami victims are learning what it means to walk a mile in someone else's shoes. Literally.

Earlier this month, the United Water Polo Club in Los Alamitos organized a shoe drive to help survivors of Japan's devastating earthquake. In collaboration with Sport Chalet and Soles4Souls, club members gathered about 400 pairs of gently used shoes that were boxed and shipped overseas.

“People in Japan need these shoes because a lot of their land was destroyed and there is a lot of debris on the ground that can hurt their feet,” said Luca Costa, 10.

Club head coach Trevor Wawrzynski said, “If we had raised money, the kids wouldn’t have seen the visual and physical impact that they could make. The experience opened their eyes to see that shoes they already own could make a difference in other people’s lives.”

For three weeks, parents and children rounded up every closed-toe shoe they could find – from girls’ ballet slippers to boys' hiking boots.

“I feel very good that I was able to donate my shoes,” said 10-year-old Ian Minsterman, whose family gave 15 pairs of shoes, including Skechers and Geox.  

Katie Dvonch, 9, skipped lunch to help her mom, Sue, load shoes into their GMC Yukon. “It was so neat to gather up the bags and bags of shoes,” she said.

Costa chimed in, “Volunteering is very important.”  

The drive began after club leaders decided they wanted to help Japan by working with an existing relief program. Sport Chalet, which was collecting footwear on behalf of Soles4Souls, seemed like a logical choice.

To get things rolling, Wawrzynski asked club members at practice if they owned shoes, then asked if they owned multiple shoes and if they knew about the devastation that hit Japan.

“We asked them how they would feel if they did not own a pair of shoes, something we take for granted in our everyday lives,” he said. “This got them thinking and right away, they started to ask questions about what they could do to help.”

The club committee then sent a mass email to members and parents about the effort. Although club members range in age from 5 to 18, the group's philanthropic work was spearheaded by a band of 7- to 14-year-olds nicknamed “United for Others."

“The parents just sat back and let the kids do the work,” said mother Cindy Duncan. “We prefer to have the kids take ownership in this, because it is hard for a 9-year-old to get involved in philanthropic work.”

But there was a bigger reason the club got involved.

“Our club founder [Takeshi Inoue] is from Japan and so are many of our families, so this tragedy struck close to home,” said 13-year-old Lauren Dvonch.

Inoue, whose father and relatives still live in Tokyo, said the team is “learning the importance of helping each other – just what you need to learn when you want to win a game.”

Japanese families in the club were delighted by the shoe campaign.

“This effort has provided us with a sense of pride about our heritage," said Nick Mori, who has lived in the United States 41 years and is the father of Daniel, 10, and Steven, 13. "This incident in Japan showed us that a country can work together by cooperating, showing signs of dignity, patience, compassion and integrity."

Mori credited the Dvonch family, especially mother Sue, as the driving force behind the shoe drive.

Ten-year-old Reilly Duncan and 9-year-old Cal Meyer labeled the effort a success and said they hoped Japan "gets a lot of use out of our shoes."

The United Water Polo Club has more than 150 members and serves North Orange County.