Wisconsin Lutheran College students are stepping up to help local children by collecting and cleaning sneakers to give away for free.The students partnered with Jaccari Kicks for Kids to build hygiene kits and organize a giveawa y event from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday at Saint Marcus House.Jaccari Carr, the founder of Jaccari Kicks for Kids, started the organization 15 years ago. Since then, he has given away 25,000 pairs of shoes."When I was a kid I was bullied and teased for my appearance and so once I started to save my allowance and wear like nice sneakers, the bullies start bullying me and they started to be like, oh my goodness, you got those?" Carr said.WATCH: Wisconsin Lutheran College students are stepping up to help local children by collecting and cleaning sneakers to give away for free Free sneakers and hygiene kits for kidsCarr said he wanted to find a way to help youth, noting that when people look good, they feel good and do good."I hope they just see that there's people out there that love them and that care about them and then also that there's resources out there for you so you don't have to go commit a crime or do things that'll get you in trouble when there's people that'll look out for you," Carr said.The partnership with the college began after Christy Wagner booked Carr to speak to students about his community work. A group of students was intrigued and offered to help collect and clean sneakers, as well as assemble the hygiene bags.Carr said the students handled the flyers, collected the items, and organized the date, allowing him to step back from his usual leadership role."It's also beautiful when people see your legacy and what you've created and they wanna just help you out by giving a helping hand," Carr said.Carr said providing necessities brings him joy."Having a new pair of sneakers to go to school, having the hygiene kits to make sure your teeth are brushed, you have deodorant on, you're good to go for the school day, it really makes a difference," Carr said.Following this weekend's giveaway, Jaccari Kicks for Kids is planning a larger event on July 24. That event will feature about 1,000 pairs of sneakers, 500 book bags with supplies, face painting, basketball, and raffle items.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip ...read more read less