'Wear them and enjoy them' | Cincinnati sneaker shop donates shoes, hats to local foster kids
Dec 14, 2024
Inside downtown Cincinnati's Unheardof on Saturday, the season of giving was in full effect.Roughly a dozen foster kids from the Cincinnati area got new shoes and hats courtesy of the store.It's part of a collaboration between the shop and the company Group Home Masterminds."We decided to create a program to help other people open up group homes and provide loving homes for people in the foster care system," said Group Home Masterminds co-owner Jemone McIntosh.McIntosh says resources for foster kids are limited."I learned that the need is just super high and they deserve a normal life too," McIntosh said.That's why Unheardof owner Philip Lipschutz decided to help out."I've always looked out and wanted to hook kids up with fresh sneakers 'cause I knew what it was like to have busted shoes going to school," Lipschutz said.For staff at the shoe store and with Group Home Masterminds, the kids' reaction was worth the effort."They were excited, you know what I mean, ecstatic about, one, having new shoes, but representing their city, the Bengals, having a hat to go with it," said Group Home Masterminds co-owner LiDairious Hafford. "They're ready to go to the game now."Lipschutz and McIntosh say even a simple pair of sneakers can make a life-changing difference."When that kid finally transitions from having the wack shoes to the cool shoes, it can really change their outlook on life and give them a lot of positivity to push forward," Lipschutz said.You can click here to learn more about Group Home Masterminds. "Keep them clean, but wear them and enjoy them," Lipschutz told the kids.