She may not wear wings or carry a wand, but to hundreds of Utah children, Wendy Olsen is the Shoe Fairy.
The inspiration for “The Shoe Fairy” came from a little boy in Wendy’s daughter’s first grade class. The boy wore old, torn up shoes to school on a cold and snowy February morning. He did not want to go outside for recess After learning that his family was not able to buy him new shoes until late spring or early summer, Wendy and her daughter Kylee purchased a new pair of shoes for the boy. Kylee did not want him to know we had bought the shoes. Since Kylee recently had a visit from “The Tooth Fairy” she suggested that we tell the boy they got them from “The Shoe Fairy.”
When they gave the boy the brand new pair of shoes, a small tear appeared in his eye as he asked, “Can I really have them?” Wendy and Kylee explained “The Shoe Fairy” knows when a child needs shoes and she is there to help. Wendy asked him if she could have his old shoes. He asked, “Why?” Wendy told him that she would give his worn out shoes to “The Shoe Fairy” so she could make them like new for another boy.
The Shoe Fairy’s goal is to make sure that no matter the circumstances, children in elementary schools have a good pair of shoes. The Shoe Fairy uses 100% of the donations to buy $15 dollar gift cards to Payless Shoe Source. This way the students with their parents can go pick out their own new shoes. Teachers notify The Shoe Fairy when it looks as if a child may be in need of shoes. For more information, or to donate, visit www.theshoefairy.org.
Add comment