Did you ever see My New Red Shoes' first national feature on Good Morning America?  It’s hard to believe this occurred over four years ago!  On September 3, 2007, My New Red Shoes’ founder Heather Hopkins travelled to GMA’s New York City studios for an interview in which she told America about the mission and impact of the young, one-year-old nonprofit.  Dubbed by Good Morning America as an “inspiring, only in America, story that’s helping kids start their first day of classes on the right foot”, the organization has continued to carry out their mission and have reached, in total, over 10,000 disadvantaged youth across the Bay Area since 2006!  Watch the video clip below and let us know how My New Red Shoes has inspired you to help homeless children in your community!

Hello all!  I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Allie and I am My New Red Shoes’ newest high school intern!  About a year ago, I began to browse local nonprofits for causes that I felt passionate about and I kept revisiting My New Red Shoes’ website.  Their unique mission to aide homeless youth by providing new clothing and shoes to disadvantaged school-aged kids, combined with their efforts to encourage youth to educate their communities about the effects of homelessness through teen leadership programs, interested me more than most nonprofits in the Bay Area.  As soon as I had discovered My New Red Shoes online, I immediately emailed Youth Outreach and Education Manager, Becca Moos for more information on how I could get involved.  Unfortunately, I could not get involved as quickly as I wanted to due to several extracurricular conflicts I had at the time. However, when my school counselors assigned a senior internship project, I contacted Becca and she offered me the opportunity to join the office staff here at My New Red Shoes as a social media intern, writing weekly blog updates to help keep you informed on what’s going on at the organization. 
               I’m excited about being a social media intern so I can learn more about the marketing/business world.  Although I am currently a bit unsure as to what specific career I would like to pursue after college, I think I could do well in a business environment and I hope to form connections that will help me in the future. I figure the more I learn about social media, the more it will open doors for future job opportunities and lifelong friendships. I also plan on participating in My New Red Shoes’ teen leadership programs, so with the skills I acquire from my social media internship, I will know how to effectively communicate future volunteer projects.  I’m also very excited to learn more about the best practices for navigating the Web because I know that when you spread the word about an issue effectively, it can inspire amazing action. But most of all, I can’t wait to help My New Red Shoes expand to clothe 4,000 homeless Bay Area children next summer!

-- Allie

Many have asked, "Now that Pack for Pride is over, how can my organization help?" Well, we offer many opportunities to give and support the homeless children that My New Red Shoes serves. One of the easiest ways is for your company to host a "Clothe a Child" drive. It's simple, really. Just go to http://www.mynewredshoes.org/clothe-a-child.html for more details.

My New Red Shoes sends its heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who assisted in packing over 3,500 gift bags for the start of the 2011 school year.

My New Red Shoes is incredibly excited to pack gift bags for 3,566 children today!

A BIG thank you to the Ladera Oaks Club’s youth aquatic teams. During the swim-a-thon held on June 24th, fifty kids swam SIXTY FOUR MILES in less than two hours to raise money for My New Red Shoes. Thanks for all your hard work!

Genentech employees sewed over 60 gift bags on Friday! Thank you for including My New Red Shoes in Genentech's annual "Give Back Day."

My New Red Shoes is ready for summer and our busy distribution season!  Converse donated 5,000 pairs of brand new shoes to the warehouse yesterday (WOW!).  5th Grade volunteers from Redeemer School will be unboxing and organizing them tomorrow.  NCL volunters dropped off hundreds of gift bags and handmade cards today.  We still need your help though!!  Please continue to sew gift bags, donate calculators or new boxes of 24-crayons, and monetary donationsfunds to help us be able to serve as many children as possible this summer.  Thanks for all your help!  Contact rebecca@mynewredshoes.org for more details.

Volunteering can be Fun and Rewarding
 By Claudia Dumpson, a Burlingame High School Junior

It was September 2010, and I was caught up with schoolwork, clubs, family, friends and all the other activities I was a part of. I was sitting in math class when an announcement was made about signing up to be a member of the Teen Advocacy Council for an organization called "My New Red Shoes." The announcement said that My New Red Shoes was an organization that helped local homeless children feel confident when they start the school year by providing them with new clothes and shoes. I considered the opportunity, but quickly decided I was too busy for another after-school activity.

The next day, the announcement was made again. This time when I heard it, I paid closer attention to what it said. My New Red Shoes was an organization that helped local homeless children. Homeless kids? In my community? I had never really thought about such a concept; that someone my age, in my town, was living in a homeless shelter, or worse, on the street. Kids just like you and me, who don't have a home to call their own. The idea both shocked and upset me. So, when I got home from school, I went online and signed up to be a part of the Teen Advocacy Council.

As a member of the Teen Advocacy Council (TAC), we learn about homelessness and plan community events to raise money and spread awareness about homelessness in the area. But the best part about TAC, in my opinion, is spending time with the children at a shelter nearby. We've formed friendships with a lot of the kids, and I look forward to spending time with them every week. What inspires me is how happy and carefree the children are, despite their terrible situations. Being around such positive energy makes me thankful for what I have, and motivates me to volunteer in my community even more.

Even though I have only been a member of TAC for a number of months now, it's been such a wonderful experience. I've met new people, made new friends, and learned about myself and the community around me. I've realized that volunteering can be fun and rewarding, not just something you do because you have to. Knowing this, I wish I had begun volunteering earlier.

With this, I challenge you to make a difference somewhere. There's something out there for everyone; you can help out at a homeless shelter, a hospital, animal shelter, church, or even at school. There are infinite possibilities when it comes to volunteering in your community. Whatever you choose to do, you will not regret putting aside yourself in order to help someone else. If you're helping someone else, in the long run, you're helping yourself.

Thank you to the National Charity League (NCL)!  They have been a fabulous partner sewing gift bags, drawing first day cards, and volunteering at our events.  The Sew4Love program also sewed 145 gift bags with Girl Scouts during their February overnight sewing event for charity.

We are gearing up for our summer distribution season and are so grateful for our wonderful volunteers.  Thank you for the support!  Please contact us if you are interested in sewing bags.