Levittown Siblings Honored For Instagram Campaign To Collect Shoes For Kids In Need

Siblings Gyzell and Gavin Rowan of Levittown, both students at Carl Sandburg Middle School in Neshaminy School District, were among the honored recipients of Cradles to Crayons’ Student Leader award, presented May 17.

Cradles to Crayons is a non-profit organization which provides basic essentials to children living in homeless or low-income situations

After learning that children’s shoes are a recurring low-inventory item at Cradles to Crayons, Gyzell and Gavin launched an Instagram campaign to collect gently-used shoes from their friends. Within a week, the two were able to collect 53 pairs of shoes to donate.

Pictured from left to right: Executive Director Michal Smith, siblings Gyzell Rowan and Gavin Rowan (not pictured), Board member Rich Rumer

The Cradles to Crayons mission and model allow the organization to inspire philanthropy by engaging youth in leadership roles and providing opportunities for service-minded students to have a direct impact on the lives of their less fortunate peers. The organization offers several programs under the “Children Helping Children” umbrella, including Independent Service Projects, school-based C2C Clubs, milestone celebrations and the Teen Leadership Corps, which is a competitive year-long program providing an opportunity for high school students to develop or improve organizational & leadership skills while supporting children in need.