Kicks for Kids: Tanner Elementary students receive a free pair of new shoes
Published 9:00 am Saturday, March 15, 2025
Justin Travis | The News Courier. A Listerhill Credit Union worker passes out a pair of shoes and multiple pairs of socks to a student at Tanner Elementary Thursday, March 13.
Justin Travis | The News Courier. Limestone County Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin takes on a Kindergarten student at Tanner Elementary in a push up contest Thursday, March 13.
Justin Travis | The News Courier. Four Pre-K students at Tanner Elementary sit with their new pair of shoes and socks Thursday, March 13.
Justin Travis | The News Courier. Tanner Elementary School Principal Kandye Jones, left, talks to Pre-K students before they get their free pair of shoes Thursday, March 13.
Justin Travis | The News Courier. Tanner Elementary students watch Tanner High School cheerleaders perform Thursday, March 13.
Thursday, March 13, was a day that will not soon be forgotten for the students at Tanner Elementary School — as Listerhill Credit Union’s Kicks for Kids program delivered hundreds of pairs of brand-new shoes, and multiple pairs of socks, to all 342 students for free.
“I was trying my absolute best to not cry the entire event,” Tanner Elementary Principal Kandye Jones told The News Courier. “Ever since Listerhill came to measure our students’ shoe sizes, our students have been hounding us for weeks for when their shoes are going to arrive. They have been beside themselves since they found out today was the day. Coming from a lower-class family myself, I know how big of a deal it is to get a pair of new shoes. I can’t thank Listerhill enough for all the love they have shown my kids.”
According to Jones, Listerhill not only donated thousands of dollars worth of shoes and socks to the school, but they also donated six large boxes of snacks for their students.
The charitable effort is a testament to the work Listerhill has done as a nonprofit organization to make a lasting impact on their communities at the local level. In 2024, Listerhill provided 1,030 pairs of shoes and 5,150 pairs of socks to four area schools.
“Days like this are why being in education is so exciting, it is just wonderful to see all of these smiles,” Randy Shearouse, superintendent for Limestone County Schools, said. “You can feel the excitement in the air. To get a brand new pair of shoes just as the weather is warming up is a dream come true for a lot of these students.”
In typical Tanner Elementary School fashion, before the students in each grade received their free pair of shoes they participated in a dance-off with their peers, teachers and Tanner High School Cheerleaders who made the short walk over to the elementary school gymnasium to partake in the special event.
Several community leaders were also in attendance, including Limestone County District Attorney Brian C.T. Jones and Limestone County Commissioners Johnny Turner and Derrick Gatlin.
“This is like Christmas all over again for these kids,” Gatlin said. “I graduated from Tanner High School back in 1990, so I’m probably more excited than some of these kids to be here. Events like these can really mean a lot to the students, and it’s proof of all of the love that is being poured into this community.”
Limestone County Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin and Tanner School Resource Officer Sydnae Townsend even got in on the day’s festivities, bringing an added layer of comedy to the event with a push-up contest and dance battle versus Tanner students.
“I would do anything for our kids, so I am blessed to even be a little part in all of the fun they are having today,” McLaughlin said after he came up short in the push up and dance contest. “I remember how excited I was to get a new pair of sneakers when I was their age. I don’t know if there is a better feeling than getting a new pair of shoes as a kid, so I’m sure getting to experience this with all of your classmates is something that will last with these kids for years.”
