MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — More than 1,000 kids in Martin County are receiving brand new Nike shoes through an initiative called Project New Step.
Children at the Boys and Girls Club in Stuart learned they were each getting a new pair of Nikes through the program, which was founded last year by a volunteer sports coach who noticed too many kids were playing in worn-out shoes.
Steven Binder, the founder of Project New Step, said proper footwear is something many kids simply don't have.
"And they just want to play and have fun, and for recreational sports, they don't have the proper footwear. And there are studies out there that children between when they are born and when they are 19 will need 15 to 20 pairs of shoes because of their growth rate," Binder said.
Binder said new shoes also provide confidence and self-esteem.
The shoe giveaway will continue throughout the week at the other three Boys and Girls Club locations in the county.
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