A time-honoured and vital community act of kindness needs special help this year because schools are closed. It’s the Thorncliffe Running Shoe Drive. Every year this excellent project delivers hundreds of smaller sized shoes to kids in Thorncliffe Park so they can participate in the gym. Traditionally, the schools were the best place to send a message by word of mouth and collect donations. But this year the volunteer man-in-charge, Ryan Spitzer, is asking friends to make shoe drop-offs to the porch at 59 Hanna Road. See his FB post here. FB
Program started in 2014
The program was started in 2014 by Grade 9 Leaside student Mackenzie Bier after she learned that students at Thorncliffe Park Public School could not participate in gym class because their families could not afford the proper footwear. As seen in the 2018 picture below, Mackenzie was honoured for her selfless work.
