Our mission is to provide new shoes and socks to underserved children

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PAIR OF SHOES

provided to underserved children … and still counting!

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STS INCORPORATED

to serve our home communities in Colorado and Illinois

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OUTREACH STATES

expanding our mission of providing “Shoes for Kids” across America

Share the Spirit Foundation, Inc. was founded in 2003 by sisters-in-law Karen Voepel and Tonya Voepel.

At Share the Spirit Foundation, our mission is to provide underserved children with new shoes and socks. We go above and beyond by offering a personalized shopping experience, where a committed volunteer assists each child with choosing their very own pair of new shoes. We strongly believe this not only fulfills a child's basic necessity but also nurtures their independence, pride and self-esteem.

Share the Spirit in Action

Back to School Shoes in Colorado

J & N Shoe Store in Lamar, CO was the location for a huge Shoes for Kids event serving over 300 students from several rural schools in Southeast Colorado.

Back to School Shoes in Illinois

It was NEW SHOE DAY for over 100 students at Graham Elementary and Southern View Elementary in Springfield, IL! It takes a crew to coordinate and make this happen, and we are thankful for our amazing board, volunteers and Shoe Carnival.

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Our Fundraisers

2025 Fundraisers

Sip & Savor 2025
January 11, 2025
Sip & Savor 2025
Friday Uncorked 2025
June 13, 2025
Friday Uncorked 2025

FAQs

Collaborating with school officials is at the core of our mission.  By working closely with teachers, administrators and social workers, we are confident we can identify children who require assistance.

Children often already receive hand-me-downs, used shoes or discarded shoes that do not fit properly.  We want to ensure that every pair of shoes fit perfectly.  Thus, our fundraising efforts provide the monetary means to buy new shoes and socks.

Throughout the year we organize multiple fundraisers, helping to gather the necessary funds.  Additionally, we warmly welcome donations and actively pursue grants.  Since we are an all-volunteer organization, our fundraisers are specifically designed to support the acquisition of new shoes.

We have a volunteer sign-up sheet on our website at sharethespirit.info.  We would be happy to include your name on our list of volunteers.  Thank you so much.

We have a donation tab on our website at sharethespirit.info.  We are most grateful for any amount of contribution.  Thank you so much.  We are a 501c3 foundation.  All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowable under law.

Notes from friends.

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Shoe Store Partners

Lamar, CO Lamar, CO
Springfield, IL Springfield, IL
Jacksonville, IL Jacksonville, IL
Springfield, IL Springfield, IL