Every student at Danville's Schoolfield Elementary School receives new pair of shoes, socks (2025)

A partnership between local and national organizations brought more than 500 pairs of name-brand shoes and socks to students at Schoolfield Elementary School on Thursday.

Representatives from those groups — California-based Shoes That Fit, GEICO Philanthropic Foundation and the Wendell Scott Foundation — were joined by members of the Danville School Board and other education leaders for a celebration that lasted throughout the day.

Although students knew they would receive shoes, they weren’t aware it would be as extravagant of an event.

The GEICO group partnered with Shoes That Fit to donate 535 pairs and socks to the students at the school.

It all came to be because of the Danville-based Wendell Scott Foundation, an organization that carries on the legacy of the first Black driver to win a top-tier NASCAR race.

Warrick Scott, CEO of the foundation, had worked with LaDonna Bond, who is over social impact and philanthropic initiatives at GEICO.

“We just stayed in contact over the years,” Scott told the Register & Bee. “They were watching us on social media and seeing the impact we were having on the area.”

That’s when Scott was able to partner to bring the Shoes That Fit project to Danville.

Having worked with Schoolfield before — his daughter taught kindergarten there last year — Scott picked that school to receive the shoes.

“Proper fitting shoes and children having clean socks are more of a hardship than people realize,” he explained.

Scott said the administrators and teachers “do such a wonderful job at caring for those children.”

Scott took part in a literacy program at the school last year.

“I got close to the school and the student body,” he said.

When Schoolfield Elementary Principal Kelsie Hubbard found out that all of the students were going to receive free name-brand shoes, she was in awe.

“For it to be a national event and for Schoolfield and little Danville city to be selected,” was major, she told the newspaper.

“I reflected back on how grateful I was to be connected to the Wendell Scott Foundation from last year,” she continued, “and picking them up as a community partner for Schoolfield.”

Hubbard said there’s a lot of talk about student confidence and for children to come to an environment where they want to learn, something she strives to achieve for Schoolfield.

“But it’s not really always within our control to ensure students have the proper clothing and are comfortable when they present themselves in front of their peers at school,” she said. “For me, I was just very thrilled we were going to be able to host this event, and also it just spoke awe to me about community and what the Wendell Scott Foundation believes in.”

For Mac Stephens, with GEICO’s social impact and philanthropy division, Thursday was a homecoming of sorts.

While he works for the corporate part of the insurance company and lives elsewhere now, he was raised in Pittsylvania County.

“We are excited to give every child in that school a pair of shoes,” Stephens said a day before the event as he was driving down from another shoe giveaway in Baltimore, Maryland.

“I bring in resources in partnerships,” he explained of his role with the company.

Being from the area, he’s familiar with the legacy of Wendell Scott and the mission of that group’s foundation.

Thursday was the first time he got to work with a group from his hometown area.

He said a new pair of shoes installs confidence and self-esteem for students.

“It lessens the possibility for the kid to be bullied because they don’t have a new pair of quality shoes,” he said.

It also removes the financial obstacle families face. Sometimes, resources are stretched, and parents have to decide between paying rent or putting gas in the car.

“They are left off the table because they are not considered a necessity,” he said of shoes for kids.

He’ll help to give out about 6,500 shoes in the calendar school year.

“It’s a nationwide effort in supplying shoes to kids at schools,” he said.

Janet Lang, senior manager of strategic partnerships at Shoes that Fit, works with Stephens often.

The nonprofit was started in 1993 to provide name-brand athletic shoes to children.

“We just felt shoes is one of the most visible signs of childhood poverty,” she said.

Sometimes, the shoes are too small and don’t fit well because the child hasn’t been properly measured.

“These are brand name shoes,” she said, explaining they will last the students a long time.

She said students may miss school because of things like not having a good pair of shoes and feeling embarrassed.

“We’ve seen a boost in their self-esteem and attendance,” she told the Register & Bee. “It really helps the whole child, it’s not just a pair of shoes we provide.”

GEICO has been a corporate donor for years and she recently got to know the folks involved with the Wendell Scott Foundation.

“I am just thrilled we are partnering,” she said. “They just seem like wonderful people.”

Scott said Thursday’s event was more than just free footwear. It was “an experience.”

The students also had ice cream as part of the treat, courtesy of the Wendell Scott Foundation.

Each grade level was summoned for an assembly “to give them that personalized time to receive their shoes,” Hubbard explained.

“Again ensuring that they understand that this new pair of shoes can help build their confidence for them to be focused on their learning to pursue their hopes and dreams is really my view of what we are doing this event for as a whole,” she told the newspaper.

Scott said his foundation’s mission is to educate, mentor and provide opportunities for underserved communities.

He also praised overall leadership at the central office, especially Danville Public Schools Superintendent Angela Hairston.

“I find Dr. Hairston to be refreshing and really strong proponent for youth,” he said. “It is easy to partner with someone working so hard to transform our community.”

Hubbard said she’s proud of the academic growth — and the determination of students to be in school each day — at Schoolfield Elementary, which is one of five fully accredited schools in Danville.

“The Wendell Scott Foundation, The Shoes That Fit, the GEICO partnership, it just speaks volumes on how the community wants to support our students in their learning and I’m just grateful for the opportunity,” she said.