Back to school is always a stressful time for the young sneaker collectors because they want to make sure what they start the year off is fresh and ready to turn heads in the hallways. Unfortunately, most kids don't have the option of new sneakers at the beginning of each school year and Zaire Downs realized this when watching a fellow classmate get bullied over his sneakers.
“Some of the families told us they needed them because they were dealing with domestic violence,” Downs told WHAM “So we’re going to help them out.”
The 13-year-old 7th grader started a sneaker drive to give away new or slightly used sneakers to students in hopes to prevent bullying over sneakers, while simultaneously giving his peers the confidence that we all have felt when rocking a new pair of sneakers for the first time. During the month of August alone, Downs has has collected upwards of 50 pairs of sneakers ranging from Nikes, to Adidas, to Air Jordans, as well as $1,535 out of his $5,000 goal on his GoFundMe page that will go towards purchasing sneakers that he will give away. If you are in New York and are looking to help the cause, Downs will be distributing the sneakers at a book bag giveaway this Saturday at the Thomas P. Ryan Center at 530 Webster Avenue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Rochester, NY.
