Earlier this year, the ambitious student group known as the GRIT team was presented with a seemingly small service project. However, this project proved to be much bigger than what was expected. Mr. Brent Campbell's idea was simple: collect new or used shoes for an organization called Shoes for H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Excel). The organization collects shoes in any condition to be sent to those who are in need around the world. When GRIT team members got word of the project, they decided to take it to the next level, involving all Adair County Schools, several local churches, businesses, government offices, and community centers. With all involved, the team set a goal to collect 1000 pairs of shoes. To their surprise, they not only met this goal, but exceeded it by collecting nearly 1800 pairs of shoes.
This accomplishment would not have been possible if it were not for the time and effort put forth by the community and other ACHS student organizations. Donating multiple pairs of shoes at a time and volunteering countless hours to help count and bag shoes were small things that made a BIG impact and contributed to the success of this project. Ben Hancock, a member of Goal-Driven, Resilient, Influential Teens (GRIT) states, "At the end of the day, this is something all of us have worked together to achieve and I want to thank everybody who helped out."
The GRIT team is excited to continue projects involving the community in the near future, so watch out Adair County! If you would like to know more about this project visit http://www.missions-in-motion.org/shoes.html.
Pictured is Brandon Breeding, Brandon Burton and Courtney Foster.
