PALM SPRINGS, CA — More than 900 Palm Springs Unified School District students and their families were invited to receive a new pair of Vans shoes and access other community resources at an event for families in need, officials announced Monday.
The invitation-only event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Raymond Cree Middle School, 1011 E. Vista Chino in Palm Springs.
Hosted by the district's Student Services Department and the Foundation for PSUSD, a nonprofit that funds educational initiatives not covered by tax dollars, the "Shoes for Students" program will provide each student with a new pair of shoes. The event also will offer health and early childhood services, a mini farmers market, a mobile health clinic, reading programs, free books and treats from Ben & Jerry's Palm Springs, organizers said.
"We've been so impressed by how the community has stepped up for our young scholars," Eliza Stern, a foundation board director and co-chair of the program, said in a statement. "Denise Petty and I developed this concept with Student Services. What started as a way to help students feel confident and focus on academics, rather than on tattered, ill-fitting shoes, has blossomed into an event that shows how much we can support the entire family throughout the year."
Officials said the program, which began by providing students with new shoes, has grown into an event "that connects the district's neediest families with vital support."
Petty, a co-chair and foundation board director, said 92% of students are living at or below the poverty line.
"Shoes for Students" donors include the Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation, Bighorn Cares, the Vista Las Palmas Neighborhood Organization and Bloom in the Desert Ministries.
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