“The expressions on their face to, oh wow!. The smiles, it’s just one of those things when you see it stays with you,” says Blackmon-McBride.

“When they go to school on that first day, they’re going to say, ‘Look at my shoes!’ They may not be voicing that, but the look on their faces will give them that confidence and help them to go into starting a new year feeling good about themselves,” says Blackmon-McBride.

That’s why the Knoxville Area Urban League teams up every year to throw the extravaganza known as Shoes for School.

This week in our Volunteer Spirit Local 8 News This Morning anchor Marco Villarreal is showing us how Volunteer Spirit is making big steps in getting kids shoes for school.

Teaming up with local organizations the students in need will be chosen, and then the Knoxville Area Urban League goes to work providing more than one thousand sneakers.

It’s a thing many of us take for granted. Several of us have closets or large portions of our closets devoted to shoes. For some kids it’s more than a cute pair of shoes, it’s a step in the right direction to a successful school year.

Shoes make the outfit, and perhaps no one knows that best then kids in a classroom. Sometimes though, without soles kids can feel empty.

“We encourage other people to spread the word that you can purchase a new pair of shoes for a needy child for ten dollars, and you can put a smile on their face,” says Blackmon-McBride.

It’s more than just handing out shoes to kids ages 5 to 12. Each pair is set aside with the right size, and even personality of the kid getting new kicks. The community comes together to hand out backpacks, school supplies, music, food - in other words an extra large party!

Yes. You heard right. Only $10 for a brand new pair of shoes. While school is still a ways away the time to donate is now. It’s not really a donation, but an investment in a student.

“It is not possible to make this event possible without the Volunteer Spirit of the Knoxville Community,” says Blackmon-McBride.

The deadline to contribute is July 10, and all contributions are fully tax deductible. You can donate online through PayPal www.thekaul.org. You can also send a check to the Knoxville Area Urban League, 1514 E. Fifth Ave. Knoxville, TN 37917.

“Not everyone have a new pair of shoes,” says Olga Blackmon-McBride with the Knoxville Area Urban League.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) — It’s the middle of the summer, and we don’t want to start thinking about school just yet, but what about thinking about new shoes?