When 42 Monticello Elementary School students in Huber Heights walked into their school\u2019s gymnasium, they were greeted by Wayne High School athletes, coaches, volunteers and a new pair of sneakers for each of them.<\/p>\n
Matt Cline, who graduated from Wright State University with a\u00a0bachelor\u2019s degree in marketing<\/a>, organized the event. Cline runs both his own shoe company and a nonprofit organization that provides new shoes to young students in need.<\/p>\n \u201cOur organization is called Just a Pair of Shoes,\u201d said Cline. \u201cWhen you come to one of our events you realize it\u2019s much more than a pair of shoes, it\u2019s confidence in a bottle.\u201d<\/p>\n Cline said he was bullied in school as a young boy, in part because he couldn\u2019t afford a nice pair of shoes. So, he earned money mowing lawns and bought his first pair of Nikes. His confidence soared.<\/p>\n Just a Pair of Shoes focuses on students in fourth through sixth grade. Cline said children in those grades become image conscious and can be vulnerable to bullying.<\/p>\n Cline participated in a 48-mile run in March to raise money and awareness for the nonprofit organization. The run collected over $12,000, and all the proceeds will pay for new shoes for children.<\/p>\n After the kids laced up their new Nikes at Monticello Elementary; they played basketball, volleyball and soccer, competed in running races and watched an impromptu slam dunk demonstration from the Wayne varsity boys\u2019 basketball team.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a self-esteem booster,\u201d said Steven Mill, assistant principal at Monticello Elementary School.<\/p>\n Cline said he sees a huge difference in the kids’ confidence after they put on their new shoes. He said that\u2019s what his Just a Pair of Shoes is all about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wright State marketing graduate Matt Cline operates Just a Pair of Shoes, which provides new shoes to young students in need. Continue reading