Irvine Foundation volunteers and their family members recently sponsored a record breaking shoe giveaway at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in Santa Ana. On March 25, jubilant first-graders at King Elementary were the recipients of a whopping 156 pairs of shoes and socks. The previous record was 149 pairs of shoes.
“I really enjoyed delivering shoes to all the children because I love seeing all of their faces light up when they receive their brand new pairs of shoes and socks,” says Rosa Raymondi, HR Representative/Benefits Administrative Assistant. “This was a great opportunity to put our Creed and Values into action.”
Helping to make this shoe event a record success were Pam Kravitz, Corporate Benefits Administrator who coordinated the shoe drive, and Irvine Foundation volunteers Sandy Jones, Executive Secretary and Senior Administrative Assistant; Rosa Raymondi, HR Representative/Benefits Administrative Assistant; Justin Calvert, Office Clerk; Jaime Grant, GSF Foundation Program Development Specialist; Rachelle Navarro, Receptionist; Lourdes Smith, Senior Payroll Clerk; Brian George, Corporate Business Development Manager, and his wife, Lisa, and Shirley Schaal, Legal Executive Administrative Assistant and her mother Carol Tanaka.
Special thanks to Carol Tanaka for putting remarkable effort into this event and for inspiring many of her friends to participate through their donations. Carol’s tremendous contribution exemplifies how the Foundation is growing and reaching more people all the time, and not just GSF associates. Carol was responsible for the purchase of 117 pairs of shoes and 123 pairs of socks for this event and, along with her friends, donated 63 pairs of shoes out of the 156 pairs total.
After helping me shop for a shoe giveaway event, my mom (Carol) initially became involved with our foundation when she asked if she could also purchase some pairs of shoes to donate,” says Shirley Schaal, Legal Executive Administrative Assistant. “After hearing about her experiences with the GSF Foundation, it wasn’t long until her friends asked if they could also donate shoes, followed by members of her church, senior ministry, and even the ladies from her gym wanted to get involved. My mom worked hard for 34 years to make sure our family never noticed we were poor,” reflects Shirley. “She experienced first-hand just how hard it is to go without, so it really means so much to her that, through the GSF Foundation, she has the opportunity to give back to children and families in need.”
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