2025Los Angeles, CA, October 18, 2013, 7:25 am -- /EPR NETWORK/ -- There are not many people out there who have ever organized an event for over 300 people, and most certainly not many teenagers.
Kayla Tinucci, a 17 year old from Santa Clarita, CA has spear-headed organizing over 18 events in the past 15 months aimed at collecting new athletic shoes for needy kids.
What started out as a summer project in June of 2012 has now turned into a year round effort to help less fortunate youth. In just over one year, the Shoe Crew has collected over 6,000 pairs of new shoes, and has raised thousands of dollars in an effort to help kids who don't have basic necessities. Kayla has won several national awards in the process, including a Build-A-Bear Huggable Hero award and a Prudential Spirit of the Community Award. Both awards recognize the outstanding youth leadership and and volunteerism. The Shoe Crew consists of a hard working group of young philanthropists who want to make a difference. Their slogan, Making A Difference, Step By Step says it all.
The initial summer goal (2012) was to collect 2200 pairs of shoes for local charities who serve needy youth. After meeting and surpassing that goal, The Shoe Crew gained a great deal of respect, not to mention momentum.
The success of their efforts created a nationwide movement and there are now 5 branches of The Shoe Crew across the country, each branch is run by teens similar to Kayla, who want to Make A Difference. After exceeding their initial summer goal, the group realized that there was so much demand for shoes from so many places, that they couldn't stop there, so they pressed onward.
This hard- working group of kids collects shoes by hosting fun, family friendly events. Attendees bring new shoes in exchange for a ticket to the event.
The Shoe Crew has hosted teen parties, pool parties, skating parties concerts and more. Average attendance at the events is 300 people, and continues to grow. During the summer of 2013, the Shoe Crew organized a series of 3 concerts, working with local teen bands who were motivated to help serve the community.
Each band made a significant contribution to the shoe collection efforts by selling tickets to their own fan base. The summer concert series was a huge success. The bands had so much fun that they wanted more- and immediately after the Shoe Crew Summer Concert Series concluded, Kayla and The Shoe Crew set a date for their next event, The Shoe Crew Halloween Concert.
The concert will take place on Saturday, October 26 th from 5:30 pm to 11 pm at 118 West Studios, 2251 B Ward Ave, Simi Valley, California 93065.
The venue, 118 West Studios, is a state of the art facility and has been a key sponsor of the Shoe Crew's effort. This amazing facility also provided the venue for 2 of the 3 concerts this summer.
The cost to attend is a pair of new athletic shoes, however, there is also an option to purchase a $10 ticket online in advance of the event. The concert will be headlined by teen band False Puppet.
A total of nine teen bands will perform. In addition to the live performances, there will be a costume contest, red carpet, sweets table, and other surprises, including a celebrity host. At 17, Kayla has already developed first-hand experience with what it really takes to organize a community effort to make a difference, I have learned so much in the past year about giving back, hard work, and how to be a leader.
I could not have accomplished all of this without tremendous support from the rest of the Shoe Crew members. We have all put in many hours planning and volunteering, but it's all worth it when we see the smiles on the kids' faces when they get their shoes said Kayla. The shoes collected at the concert will be distributed during the holiday season and winter months to homeless families, and disadvantaged kids and those in need of disaster relief.
To learn more about The Shoe Crew visit www.theshoecrew.org or www.facebook.com/theshoecrew. Follow The Shoe Crew on Twitter @shoecrew2012.
Media Contact Jennifer@theshoecrew.org
818-505-4030
Event Tickets
https://www.wepay.com/events/shoe-crew-halloween-concert
Facebook Event page link: https://www.facebook.com/events/503366886405190/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular
