Teen Tackles 10-School Shoe Drive
Jan 18, 2012
Filed in Giving
By Lauren Hollon Sturdy
Buckner International
TYLER, Texas—Despite his age, Zack Lawson sounds as professional and polished as if he’s been in the “real world” for years. He’s been dealing with school administrations, tax forms and presentations a lot lately, which could have something to do with the 17-year-old’s mature demeanor.
Lawson recently wrapped up a 10-school shoe drive, a project that took eight months from inception to completion. The drive fulfilled one of his requirements for the International Baccalaureate Programme, a college preparatory program for high school students that stresses global understanding and community service. Shoes for Orphan Souls appealed to Lawson as the focus for his service project because it benefits children and has a global reach.
When he looked into ways others had conducted shoe drives, he realized a citywide drive or one involving local radio stations was probably out of reach. But his dad worked in a local elementary school and Lawson knew they were working on rallying around service through Rachel’s Challenge, focusing on teaching the kids kindness and compassion through service.
He thought Shoes for Orphan Souls would go over well in schools because the focus is children, and it meshed perfectly with the themes of kindness, compassion and generosity that schools were already emphasizing.
“It would give the schools a tangible rallying point for this idea of Rachel’s Challenge,” he said.
He presented the project to the elementary school counselors at one of their monthly meetings. They all loved it. Read More



