Putnam Valley mom has soft spot

After collecting 2,144 pairs of shoes, Debbie Sarich is a step closer to her goal of adopting another child.

The Putnam Valley mom, who is raising three children, teamed with a nonprofit organization that sends used footwear to poor countries to gather a mountain of shoes. She’s getting up to $2 per pair, and the fundraising effort will help cover the costs of adopting a 2-year-old girl from Ethiopia, Tselot, who has cerebral palsy.

“It was a lot of work,” said Sarich, a pediatric physical therapist, “We packaged up 33 boxes, all different kinds of shoes, some of them a little stinky. It was an all-out effort.”

Sarich and her three adopted kids went out for pizza and ice cream after the final box was shipped, and Sarich’s daughter, Krasimira, 10,Shop the latest from Michael Kors Classic Handbags. Totally free shipping and returns. was especially relieved. “I’m not touching dirty shoes again,” she said. At one point their townhouse was filled with 600 shoes.Shop hotmkbags for the latest fashion trends in Michael Kors Shoulder Bags for ladies.

Sarich said she was extremely grateful for the help and support she received, and was deeply moved by contributions,Shop discounted mk handbags on hotmkbags. logistical help and notes of encouragement since she began the shoe drive in April. “I say thanks from the bottom of my heart,” she said.

The shoes poured in from collection boxes stationed in Putnam Valley, Mahopac, Brewster, Somers and Yorktown. Dozens of athletic shoes from area middle schools were also donated after custodians began cleaning out lockers.

At My Gym in Yorktown, a children’s recreational and athletic center, hundreds of shoes were collected. “It was wildly successful,” said gym owner Chris Rubin, “It’s a wonderful cause, certainly,Shop for Michael Kors Monogram at hotmkbags. helping people who don’t have what we have.”

The charitable organization working with Sarich, Project Sole, transports footwear to orphanages and villages in Africa, Asia, Central and South America. Work boots and athletic shoes are especially prized by the organization, which was co-founded by a young man who was troubled seeing barefooted walkers in Honduras.

Sarich is headed to Ethiopia in October to complete the legal process for adopting the girl whom she plans to call Sadee. Sarich, who is not married , says she has a passion for motherhood and a special kind of love for children who need a little extra help.

The adoption could be completed in December.Then Sarich hopes to turn her attention from shoes to stockings. “I’ll have a little stocking ready for Christmas, with her name on it,” she said.

In my classroom, I teach a guidance lesson called "Walk a Mile in My Shoes." I get the students in a circle and they all take off their shoes! (This elicits groans, laughter and "my socks are dirty" comments.Buy Michael Kors iPhone Cases Michael Kors handbags with big discount and free shipping!) After discussing the meaning of empathy -- understanding how someone else feels -- I start to ask questions. Who has felt bullied at school? Who has felt left out? Who has felt lonely?

Then I get the kid who has had that feeling and another kid who has not had that feeling to trade shoes. They put on each other's shoes and "walk a mile" (around the room) while the rest of the class cracks up. We do this several times with different issues and at the end everyone trades shoes with someone and they all "walk a mile." This is a very powerful lesson and one that the students remember from year to year ("When are we going to do the 'walk' lesson again?") The goal is for students to be aware of the feelings of others and to act accordingly -- to treat others with the same respect that we want them to treat us.

This is the ultimate lesson. If we all could walk a mile in the shoes of a black teenager like Travyon Martin, would we then begin to understand the racial injustices that happen in this country on a daily basis? Let's teach empathy. Let's think about what it would be like to walk a mile in someone's shoes.

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