Laces of Love

This collection of personal stories about children whose lives have been touched by the Laces of Love Charitable Foundation, Inc. will move and inspire you. They were written to honor the children who have put cardboard in their old shoes, who have taped their sneakers together, or have tried to glue and fix their worn out shoes. The connection created between the kindness of others and a needy child is inspiring.

Give a new pair of shoes to a needy child and something magical happens. Lives are transformed. A young boy opens a shoebox and starts to cry. Another child hugs the school nurse and says, “This is my very first pair of new shoes ever!” “I always love to see a child receive the Laces of Love shoes. Their eyes light up and they start to dance!” says a school principal. “I saw my student actually hugging the shoes because he was so overwhelmed with joy!” says a fifth grade teacher. This collection of personal stories about children whose lives have been touched by the Laces of Love Charitable Foundation, Inc. will move and inspire you. They were written to honor the children who have put cardboard in their old shoes, who have taped their sneakers together, or have tried to glue and fix their worn out shoes. The connection created between the kindness of others and a needy child is inspiring.

Jeanne Nara Nealon is an award winning middle school teacher in Collier County, Florida and a married mother of two sons. Experiences in her first years of teaching caused her to realize the need of students in her community. Along with her sister Mary Nara Myrmo, she collected new shoes for local shelters and schools. Later, with the help of Susy Warren, they created Laces of Love® Charitable Foundation, Inc. in 2005. Since then, the organization has provided needy children in southwest Florida with over 100,000 pairs of new shoes. Jeanne has been giving spiritual and motivational talks for over 40 years. She has been the keynote speaker and presenter at many Education and Leadership Conferences. She remains an active school volunteer, a Religious Education teacher, and a substitute teacher when needed. She devotes much of her time to writing, speaking, and “Getting Shoes for Needy Kids.” In many schools, she is known simply as “The Shoe Lady.”