Group Gives Shoes To Kids In Need
While shopping for back-to-school shoes is a ritual for many families, plenty of others can't afford it. And hand-me-down shoes are often worn out, don't fit properly and can even be unsafe.
Shoes That Fit tries to change that. The non-profit works with local community groups to find schools with children who need shoes, says Lee Kane, program manager for Shoes That Fit. The children are measured and receive new closed-toed athletic shoes paid for with donations, she says.
Adidas Shoes Shoes are a tough issue for many families for several reasons.
"They're expensive, kids grow out of them so fast and wear out of them so fast," Kane says. "You can wear a used coat that's in good shape, but used shoes are really difficult for kids."
The group, which is based in Claremont, Calif., also provides clothing and other items she says. During the last school year, the group provided more than 95,000 new items to children in need.
Christian Louboutin leads shoes not made for walking
When it comes to women's shoes made for style rather than walking, Christian Louboutin footwear with their distinctive red soles lead the pack, according to a survey of wealthy American consumers.
Shoes by Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo were rated second and third respectively in a survey of high net-worth consumers conducted by the New York-based Luxury Institute to find the most prestigious women's shoe.
"Women's luxury shoes are a hot item these days and this is reflected in the rankings of these three brands that were relatively unknown by the general public just a few years ago," said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute.
"Designer shoe collecting and even obsession has become trendy and is touted in books, blogs and clubs devoted to the subject."
French designer Christian Louboutin opened his flagship boutique in Paris in 1992, hand crafting all his shoes in Italy. His shoes are now sold in upscale department stores and boutiques from Hong Kong to New York to Moscow with an average price of about $800.
The gear junkie: Running shoes mimic bare feet
Innovation in the realm of running shoes often comes in the form of new colors, added padding, or subtle - sometimes gimmicky - design tweaks that do little to increase performance on the run.
So what has Newton (www.newtonrunning.com) done? The shoes feature rubber lugs - called "actuators" - that extend a quarter inch or so from the base of the forefoot region on the sole to mimic a barefoot running style, attempting to promote a more efficient and natural running technique. According to the company, the design minimizes detrimental heel-striking, promotes forefoot striking, increases speed and prevents injury with some runners.
There's also a claim that the actuators rebound you into each new stride, contracting on impact, absorbing energy, then springing you forward in a fit of, well, Newtonian physics.
In addition, the shoes are fairly lightweight - the Gravity model I tested are about 11 ounces per foot - and they have a mushy, dead-feeling heel, further egging you to strike on your forefoot.
Langer has two pair of Newtons, but when I ran with him in late August he'd not yet put enough miles on the shoes to make any final conclusions.
In my testing - which has included about 200 miles over two months on the Gravity model - I've come to love the shoes. They keep me upright, forward and feeling fast. They are well designed, good looking and comfortable.
Are they miracle shoes? For some runners, maybe. I am a perfect candidate for Newtons, as I land on my heel when I get lazy but am a natural forefoot striker. These shoes reinforce that forefoot stride, keeping me running fast and efficient by encouraging me to land on the actuators, which are right under my forefoot region.
Newton makes some big claims with its new footwear. Depending on your running style, there may be few gains.
As for the company's claim of rebounding actuators that spring you into each stride, I'm not sold that this is noticeable. For me, the advantages have been the shoes' great fit, the subtle stride-enhancing details and the position they put my foot in to better run the race.
Needy children get 6,200 pairs of shoes
Thousands of Grand Rapids children returned to school this week with new shoes and clothes, thanks to In the Image.
The Grand Rapids charity handed out 6,200 pairs of shoes and more than 10,000 outfits during the past three weeks.
Today marks the end of the annual Shoes Help Our Elementary Students, or SHOES, drive at In the Image, 1823 S. Division Ave. Director Paul Haagsman called the endeavor "the best ever."
In addition to giving away a record number of shoes, families got to select two new outfits for each eligible children.
The clothing bonus came as a result of an anonymous and "out of the blue" donation from a clothing distributor in New York City.
He estimated the semitrailer load of clothing contained about 20,000 outfits, mostly for children.