Toussaint House and the Trinity community teamed up with WaterStep to collect shoes — and in the process experienced tremendous success. More than 1,000 pounds of donated shoes yielded more than $7,000 for the WaterStep cause. 

According to Dr. Aaron Striegel, Toussaint director, “the shoes are sold, and profits are used to purchase water purification systems to provide clean drinking water for people around the world.

“Derek Howard, the director of the shoe program for WaterStep, said the following about Trinity’s efforts, ‘Trinity High School’s total collection was the highest of any public, parochial, independent or private school in the region. The estimated value of the shoes collected is $7,000. This number surpassed the total Trinity collected last year by over $1,000. Many thanks to the entire Trinity community.’”

Striegel said, “One student, junior Benjamin Grissom, collected 105 pairs of shoes by simply asking his relatives and neighbors to donate. Benjamin said, ‘This project spoke to me, and I wanted to be a part of something that helps to change people’s lives in a positive way.’”

Gallery • 4 Photos

photos by Matt Gadd

Toussaint House coordinated a WaterStep drive to raise funds for clean drinking water in various parts of the world.