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Wendy
Sanborn |
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Wendy Sanborn
39 - Wanship, UT
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"Watching the children react to their new shoes is tremendous .Many spontaneously hop or jump in their new, comfortable shoes. When a child asks if the shoes are actually for her and she grins and twirls when I say yes, I can’t think of a better way to spend my time."
At the request of the Adopt-A-Native Elder organization, where she was volunteering, Wendy Sanborn started Walk In Beauty in 2007 to provide shoes for children on the Navajo Reservation. She built the program, from the ground up, partnering with 10 schools on the reservation to identify and distributes shoes to children.
Wendy has visited community organizations and developed an informational booth to promote Walk In Beauty and solicit donations. The program has raised about $25,000 and provided shoes for more than 300 children. Wendy has built relationships with school staff in a cross-cultural setting and with local community donors. And she has established a system for getting new shoes to individual children who need them, even those living in very remote areas of the reservation.
On the Navajo Reservation, many families find it difficult to provide for their children’s most basic needs. Because the reservation is remote, the unemployment rate is very high and access to goods and services is limited. Some families struggle to have enough to eat, while others live in homes without running water or electricity. As families scramble to meet their children’s most basic needs, other necessary items – like shoes – may be unattainable.
Walk In Beauty believes that every child deserves a pair of shoes that fit comfortably, offers plenty of growing room and looks up-to-date. These simple shoes improve the condition of the children’s feet and self-image, freeing the children to run, play and focus in school. This year, Walk In Beauty provided shoes for more than 300 children, and Wendy is working to expand the number of schools served, as well as the number of children receiving shoes at each school.
That's why Wendy is a 2008
Woman Of Worth. |
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"Watching the children react to their new shoes is tremendous."
Hear Wendy discuss her work
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ORGANIZATION
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