OKEECHOBEE -- Our Village's youngest volunteer is hosting a shoe drive to help school children in our community who may need a hand.

Although she is only 8 years old, (soon to be 9 according to Hannah O'Neal), she is doing big things in Okeechobee.  Just in time for National Shoe the World Day on March 15, Hannah sends out a challenge to Okeechobee to help her gather a minimum of 500 pairs of shoes before the Back to School Expo.

Hannah said she has always enjoyed helping other people and actually looks for opportunities to meet needs. Though she home schools now, she attended school prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, and she remembers coming home from school and telling her mom about a child in her class who did not have shoes. Her mom told her she could bring in a pair of hers if she wanted to, and she did.

Not long ago, she noticed a boy come into Our Village, where her mom is a full-time volunteer and Hannah is an after school volunteer. The sole of one of the boy's shoes just fell off while he was there, and Hannah was horrified. Now, this particular boy had many other pairs of shoes at home in his closet, but Hannah knew there were so many kids out there who did not have that luxury.

"Every day, people call my mom and ask if Our Village has any shoes because their students grew out of their shoes or had holes in them." Her mom, Mary O'Neal explained she answers the phone for the non-profit and regularly gets calls from teachers or staff at the local schools. "The need in Okeechobee is great," she said.

Hannah said the kids don't only need shoes for school, they also need them at home because if they are out playing with no shoes on, they can get a bad cut which can get infected.

Hannah came up with the idea to do a shoe drive on her own, but Leah Suarez, founder of Our Village, said Hannah has helped with many drives at Our Village and knows a lot about how they work. It was Suarez' idea to look for a grant to help get Hannah started. She found the perfect one in the Hillshire Farm Company's Youth Led Grants. The grant is called SNACKED, and the one Hannah won was for $500. They were offering three grants to children in Florida between 4th and 6th grades, and most of the applicants were 6th graders.

Hannah spends her days doing school work at Our Village where her mom is volunteering. As soon as she finishes her work, she jumps in offering to help whether it be by helping someone with homework or organizing donations.

Hannah has been learning about public speaking lately when she stood up before the Chamber of Commerce at their monthly Rise Up breakfast and told them about her shoe drive. Last week she spoke to the Rotary Club and has spoken to her church, Christ Fellowship. Her pastor Matt took on Hannah's challenge and is doing his best to get 100 pairs of shoes before  Hannah does. "He's doing good, but we're going to beat him," she said. "I think he even challenged other people he knows too."

Even Hannah's dad has taken up the baton, asking his buddies at work to contribute to Hannah's cause. 

Hannah, her mom and Suarez have made flyers to hand out to people who come into Our Village and to anyone they know who might be willing to hang them up.

On March 15, National Shoe the World Day, they held a drive by shoe drop off at Our Village. Hannah said they have plans for a fundraiser dinner and a fundraiser breakfast, so keep an eye out for those things. In addition, Hannah plans to challenge some of the community leaders. "We have a hit list," said Suarez. 

The shoes needed are all sizes, because Hannah explained they are trying to get shoes to the high school as well. They will take any style of shoes - tennis shoes, boots, sandals. "We do care about the kids and want them to be happy. We want them to have the kind of shoes they would want to wear," said O'Neal.

If you would like to help Hannah, you can donate shoes or cash at Our Village or by contacting them through the Our Village  Facebook page. Our Village is open from 9-7 Monday through Thursday, 9-5 Friday and 3-5 Saturday and is located at 205 N.E. Second Street. The phone number is 863-447-0473.

They will be collecting through July 15 and of course, Our Village will always take donations so they can meet the needs throughout the year.