Chapel Hill High School graduate Malcom Passama, Class of 2023, helped donate 100 pairs of shoes to students at Jackson and Wise Elementary Schools on Oct. 21. Passama coordinated the gift with Chapel Hill ISD and Tradehome Shoes at Broadway Square Mall. The shoes benefited 50 students at each campus. Passama is general manager of the Tradehome Shoes store in Arlington.
Distribution began at Jackson Elementary at 8 a.m., followed by Wise Elementary at 10 a.m. Passama said the donation came through Tradehome's Shoes for Kids program, which uses proceeds from some product sales to buy shoes for children. He credited the store's customers for making the gift possible.
Passama said he chose Chapel Hill because the district helped him grow personally. "There was no question that I was going to pick Chapel Hill," he said. Kristyl Hester, parent and family engagement coordinator at Chapel Hill ISD, said the shoes were meant for students identified in advance. "This donation helps meet a practical need for our students and shows them that their community cares," Hester said.