Bridging For Tomorrow Donates 360 Pairs of New Shoes to Aldine ISD Students

Annual shoe drive supports students and families at eight Aldine ISD campuses.

A new pair of shoes can help a student begin the school year feeling confident, prepared, and ready to learn. For a family preparing several children for school, it can also mean one less expense.

Bridging For Tomorrow donated 360 pairs of new shoes to students at seven Aldine ISD campuses this school year. The nonprofit works with school counselors and family navigators to identify the sizes and quantities most useful to students and families.

“We saw an opportunity to step in and help ease one small but meaningful part of that burden,” said Bernice McKenzie, director of education and family programs at Bridging For Tomorrow. “If providing a new pair of shoes means one less expense for a family to carry as they prepare their children for school, then that is something we want to help make possible.”

A Donation Guided by Campus Needs

Bridging For Tomorrow has provided shoes to Aldine students for more than five years. Each participating campus receives at least 30 pairs, with additional shoes distributed when available inventory matches an identified need. The number and sizes vary each year based on campus requests and the shoes collected through the annual drive.

This year’s donations supported students at:

• Aldine High School
• Carmichael Elementary School
• Carter Academy
• Eisenhower Ninth Grade School
• Eisenhower High School
• Kujawa Elementary School
• Stehlik Elementary School
• Worsham Elementary School

For families with multiple school-age children, the savings can add up quickly. McKenzie said parents have shared that school supplies, clothing, shoes, and other back-to-school necessities can strain a household budget.

In some cases, new shoes for multiple children can save a family about $200 or more — money that can instead go toward groceries, school supplies, or another household need.

“We want students to receive something that feels special, truly their own, and something they can look forward to wearing as they start a new school year,” McKenzie said. “A new pair of shoes may seem like a small thing, but it can help a student walk into school feeling confident, prepared, and included.”

A Consistent Community Partner

Bridging For Tomorrow staff deliver shoes to Aldine High School. Showing off the shoes are (l-r) Shanae Templeton, BFT student pathway manager; school support specialist Kimberly Robertson-James, and Bernice McKenzie, director of education and family programs at BFT.

School counselor Carla Smith has seen the partnership’s impact firsthand. Before joining Stehlik Elementary School, she served as a counselor at Kujawa Elementary School, where Bridging For Tomorrow has supported students for five years.

“As a former counselor at Kujawa Elementary, I witnessed the meaningful impact Bridging For Tomorrow had on our students and families,” Smith said. “These donated shoes provide more than a basic need — they give students confidence, dignity and a reminder that their community cares.”

Smith said students can “light up with excitement and pride” when they receive a new pair of shoes. For families, the donation can provide financial relief; for students, it can mean feeling confident and ready to learn.

For LaTashia Abrams, executive director of Aldine ISD’s Family and Community Engagement Department, the partnership works because it responds to needs identified by the people who know students and families best.

“The FACE Department serves as the connector, but the schools are the ones who know the needs of their students and families — their strengths, challenges, and circumstances,” Abrams said. “When a community organization works directly with a school, it can respond to what is actually known rather than making assumptions about what families need.”

Abrams said Bridging For Tomorrow’s consistency, responsiveness, and trust have made it a dependable partner for Aldine ISD. In addition to the annual shoe donation, the organization has supported Aldine families with groceries through its food pantry.

“Five years of engagement means their partnership isn’t simply a one-time donation,” Abrams said. “Bridging For Tomorrow is a consistent and dependable partner to Aldine ISD.”

Supporting Families Beyond the Shoe Drive

Bridging For Tomorrow staff deliver shoes to Stehlik Elementary. Among those holding shoes are (l-r) Shanae Templeton, BFT student pathway manager; school counselor Carla Smith, Assistant Principal Dr. Norma Sibrian, and Bernice McKenzie, BFT director of education and family programs.

The shoe donation is one part of Bridging For Tomorrow’s (BFT) broader work with families in northwest Houston. The nonprofit provides food assistance through its food pantry, educational support and mentoring for children and teens, adult education classes, and family support services.

“Partnerships like BFT’s expand the network of support available to our students and families beyond what the school district can provide on its own,” Abrams said. “Trusted relationships with community partners can make resources more accessible for our families.”

Bridging For Tomorrow’s annual shoe drive brings together individuals, businesses, churches, and other community partners who choose to give.

“We hope every pair of shoes communicates something simple to a student and their family: your community sees you, cares about you, and is here to support you,” McKenzie said.