Neighborhood resident Carlin Morris sees to it that East Dallas children have happy feet
Wilkinson Center Shoe Drive
Donations can be sent to:
The Wilkinson Center
P.O Box 720248
Dallas 75372
More than 20 years ago, Carlin Morris recognized a big problem. While dropping her children off at Lakewood Elementary, she watched other children getting off the school bus who were, literally, growing out of their shoes. Morris decided to take action, and this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Wilkinson Center Shoe Drive that started because of her watchful and concerned eye.
It all began when Morris was a volunteer at the Wilkinson Center. She mostly sorted clothes and also assisted in handing out shoes. Mothers would bring in cardboard drawings of their children’s feet. Volunteers used the drawings to pick out shoes for the children, but it wasn’t a foolproof system.
“They would get a pair of shoes and take them home,” Morris says. “Maybe they’d fit, maybe they didn’t. Who knew whether the drawings had been made with their shoes on or with their shoes off?”
Then Ruth Collins-Altshuler donated money for the Wilkinson Center to buy new shoes to keep at the center. But finding a way to make sure these shoes would really fit the children’s feet remained a problem, so Morris asked Collins-Altshuler if she could use the money to start the Wilkinson Center Shoe Drive.
The first year, 500 pairs of shoes were given out. Now, the drive averages 1,400 pairs for children in East Dallas.
The shoe drive is a two-day event that takes place at Payless Shoe Source on Greenville and Ross. Payless has been an active participant in Morris’ cause for many years, offering her a discount on the shoes and often donating money back to the Wilkinson Center.
A sign-up at the Wilkinson Center prior to the drive lets parents and children choose appointment times. When they show up for their appointments, volunteers and Payless employees are ready to outfit their feet.
“We get a lot of smiling faces and a lot of thank yous,” Morris says. “I’m always at the door. I see everybody when they come in, and I see everyone when they leave, and 99.9 percent of the people are so appreciative and thankful that they have a new pair of shoes.”
The drive did reach out this year to help 200 children in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood, but Morris doesn’t plan on taking over all of Dallas.
“Maybe somebody else who follows in my footsteps will,” Morris says. “I think I have enough right now, but this is a major step to expand to these (Pleasant Grove) kids.”
For Morris, this event is all about giving back.
“Since I didn’t work, I felt like I had to give something,” Morris says. “I just grew up feeling the need to give to others because I’m so lucky. I have a great family, and support from my husband (Charles) who encourages me to do this.”
One particular memory of the shoe drive stands out to Morris. She mentions it almost as an afterthought, but it’s apparent how meaningful it was to her.
A young boy walked up to her while she was volunteering at Lakewood Elementary and asked if she remembered him. It had been a few weeks since the shoe drive, and Morris tried to remember where she had met the boy.
“So, I said, “How do I know you?” Morris says. “And he said, ‘You gave me a new pair of shoes, and I’ve got them on.’”
