Ivanna Eudora Kean High School’s cross country team will be getting about 100 new pairs of Nike Cross Country shoe Thursday, thanks to St. John-based group Using Sport for Social Change, the group announced Thursday. The new shoes will be hand delivered by Dean Doeling, founder of Using Sport for Social Change.
Doeling hopes the donation will uplift Kean’s cross country team and "give them a major competitive edge over their opponents this season and beyond," according to the group’s statement. Right now the cross country team consists of 20 teammates, both male and female, and are from both St. Thomas and St. John. Each teammate will be given a new pair of shoes for the season, leaving the other shoes for future athletes of the same team.
The group is tied to Nike Sports and its primary purpose is to support local sporting programs that are already in place, with fundraising, community education and sporting equipment donated through Nike, according to its statement. Using Sports for Change is also trying to resurrect some failed sporting programs and provide play days where kids from all classes and cultures can come together for and participate in sports-based games and skill challenges.
More information can be found at www.usingsportforsocialchange.com, or by contacting the St. John Community Foundation.
