Tiny Toes Owners Have Big Hearts For Vulnerable Youth

BEL AIR, MD — Strolling down Main Street in Bel Air will be a bit different for families looking for unique apparel and gifts for young children now that Tiny Toes has officially closed its doors.

After 14 years in business, shop owners – who up to the final hours could pinpoint the precise location of a Captain Underpants stuffed toy and a size six of any designer garment still on the racks – placed charity as much a part of their closure as they had during routine operations.

“Tiny Toes has always been eager and ready to support us, and their support has made a huge contribution in how many kids we can reach and how effectively we bring happiness to kids in need,” said We Cancerve Movement, Inc. Founder Grace Callwood, 15.

The children’s boutique owners Karen Jacobs and her mom Tina Lewis reached out to Callwood to invite her to a special discounted shopping opportunity.

“Tiny Toes has helped us with multiple projects for many years and their willingness and lack of hesitation to help lets me know how much they believe in this work and makes me feel encouraged,” said Callwood, a rising sophomore in Edgewood High’s Global Studies International Baccalaureate Diploma programme.

The children’s boutique featured a distinctive collection of infant, toddler, children and tween apparel, according to its website.

Their merchandise is known for its fun, whimsical flair that seems to capture the innocence and imagination of young children, said Callwood.

That’s what made Tiny Toes an “amazing partner” for years, she said.

Their collaboration goes back to 2016 on We Cancerve’s founding project, Threads of Hope, which Callwood started in 2011 by giving her brand-new back-to-school clothes to little girls whose family had moved into transitional housing while receiving services through Harford Family House, the county’s largest homeless program.

As part of Tiny Toes’ 10-year anniversary, they expressed interest in carrying on We Cancerve’s annual tradition of providing free clothes to children at Harford Family House by creating a special popup shop they called “The Big Give.”

“This was one of the first projects where we are were able to bring kids in need to their own space where they could shop for themselves and pick out for themselves what they liked without worrying about a price. Tiny Toes worked very hard to create a space that was kid-friendly and special,” said Callwood.

That initiative provided 30 children – from infants through elementary school students – with a complete new outfit, new backpack, loads of school supplies, a free hairstyle and a chance to make their own trail mix. Local businesses donated to the effort, including Flavor Cupcakery.

We Cancerve began expanding its Threads of Hope initiative in fall 2019, and this fall will open a clothing closet to meet immediate needs of elementary school students attending a Harford County community school. Among items in that closet will be brand-new designer outfits, several donated, from Tiny Toes.

“I’m still in shock and have a spirit of gratitude about how much of a discount the owners gave us on clothes for our Threads of Hope Clothing Closet,” said Callwood. “I’m so happy they donated outfits to us as well because this closet will not only provide clothes to school families who need a little extra help throughout the year, this closet will contain outfits for special school events like Picture Day, concerts and recognition assemblies when children like to dress up but maybe can’t afford to. Just the fact that Tiny Toes thought of us means so much to me.”

Among items donated to We Cancerve earlier this week from Tiny Toes were several plush toys that can be purchased with matching books. This coupling is perfect for We Cancerve’s Books and Buddies initiative. Started in 2014, the We Cancerve initiative places a new book with a new stuffed animal that matches the book's main character and presents them to hospitalized children.

For the past five years, Mario Nandalal, 14, led the Books and Buddies project for We Cancerve. He was instrumental in developing partnerships with Tiny Toes for Books and Buddies and for We Cancerve’s Eggstra Special Easter Bags-kits initiative which provides toys, candy and activity sets to children living in foster care group homes, orphanages, homeless shelters, transitional housing programs, and who are hospitalized or temporarily staying at medical respite facilities.

“As a warm and welcoming local business, Mrs. [Karen] Jacobs and the Tiny Toes staff have always been a positive force in our community. They supported an array of We Cancerve projects through their generous donations and participation in hands-on stuffing parties. They helped me by sharing sweet treats in our Easter Bags-kits along with sensational sets of books and buddies.

Their kindness and generosity helped bring a lot of happiness to hundreds of children during very dark times. Not only did they share donations with us but the Jacobs Family often came with me to deliver our bounty of blessings,” said Nandalal, a former board member who’s a rising John Carroll School freshman.

Erin Acerno, 15, a rising sophomore agrees.

“Tiny Toes and Ms. Karen Jacobs have always been very supportive of the local community, of WeCancerve and of the Halloween Haunt Me Downs Project. They have always answered the call to service and have helped in countless ways. I am so grateful for their generosity,” said Acerno, who created the Halloween Haunt Me Downs project in 2017 as part of We Cancerve and continued the project’s success in 2018 with her family.

As Tiny Toes moves to online shopping soon, We Cancerve will be eager to continue supporting this local business that’s big on quality and bigger on caring for all tiny toes out there!

The We Cancerve Movement, Inc., a registered nonprofit, brings happiness to some of society's most vulnerable youth: children experiencing homeless, illness and who are in foster care. Its vision is to change the way adults think about youth leadership in philanthropic and business communities by influencing a generation of social changemakers determined to provide solutions that bring vulnerable children happiness ... swiftly!