When Drew Frank held his bar mitzvah to celebrate his 13th birthday, he was as excited for his gifts as any other kid. But instead of keeping the $25,000 he received (yes, you read that correctly), he donated all of it to charity.
The money went to the Braden Aboud Foundation of El Paso, Texas, and the organization went on to buy 800 pairs of Nike sneakers and about 400 pairs of socks. About 400 of those shoes were distributed to students at Beall Elementary School. The rest of the shoes will be brought to a local orphanage and a YWCA transitional home for women and children.
The foundation issued this statement to Babble:
“The Braden Aboud Foundation and the B STRONG Shoe Giveaway is a yearly event and has placed over 6,000 pairs of Nike tennis shoes on kids in disadvantaged schools throughout El Paso. This is our 11th school and this giveaway was in partnership with Drew Frank who gave the generous donation of his bar mitzvah gifts to the foundation. The foundation organized, orchestrated, and volunteered this event.”
The foundation has been distributing shoes every year since 2008, and while they usually raise the money through sponsored events and business donations, this year was unique. It’s the first time the shoe giveaway has been completely funded by a single donor.
“I’m giving sneakers to these kids who may otherwise not have new sneakers,” Drew told USA Today. “They just get shoes that have been passed down from generation to generation. I just wanted to give back to these kids who are less fortunate than me.”
The event was a huge success, with over 400 children taking home a brand new pair of sneakers. The countless posters hung up from each class show how grateful the students were for Drew’s donation.
Many kids might take a simple pair of shoes for granted … but Drew made a huge difference in the lives of these students. And we couldn’t be more impressed with his generous act of kindness.
h/t: USA Today