Many Burnaby elementary children do not have proper footwear for the winter months. The lack of boots during the winter months can affect a child's health and result in poor attendance at school if a student cannot walk to school in poor, wet weather with proper footwear. The $6,000 Boots for Kids program initiated by the Rotary Club of Burnaby Deer Lake provided new boots and socks to 255 needy children at eight elementary schools in Burnaby in with support of a $2,000 District Grant from The Rotary Foundation.
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Besides providing warmth, the boots and socks have also helped to increase the self esteem of each child making them feel better about themselves. The children’s teachers also appreciated that their students had access to this resource which contributed to the students in class and outdoor engagement. Parents of the students were grateful that their children had access to boots and socks that they were unable to provide.
Working with the Burnaby School District Community Coordinators, who identified the need for boots and socks, school staff identified the students in greatest need. In the past, when the students had their feet measured in September and October (before the snow fell), many had holes in their shoes and spent the day with wet feet. Many did not have socks.
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There will always be families who can not afford to buy boots, even socks, for their children. Boots for Kids is a project the Rotary Club of Burnaby Deer Lake has done for quite some time as as a consequence we have built up a reputation for our service in the Burnaby Community.
Five members of Burnaby Deer Lake Rotary and two friends were actively involved in the project and other members were involved with solicitation of donations, purchase of boots and distribution to the schools.