KCTV 5Local Catholic school helps children continents away

Two hundred sixty-seven pairs of shoes is a lot.

Shoes are at premium in Kenya.  A pair of used shoes goes for $20 while here in the U.S., they are just a couple dollars at a garage sale.

But thanks to a local school, with some help from Sporting Kansas City, they chipped in to help children a few continents away.

It all began with a simple email from a daughter in Kenya to her mother teaching at St. Joseph Catholic School in Shawnee.

"I'm so proud of her ... it is pretty easy to sit here in JohnsonCounty and have what you need, but to go there knowing what the conditions are,we are very proud of her," said Barb Zanatta.

Stephanie Zanatta is spending six months in Kisumu, Kenya, volunteering,working with children at the Kisumu Youth Football Association.

It is a long way from Johnson County, KS.

Kisumu is one of the poorest places in Kenya. Nearly 50 percent of the people live in poverty, and only four percent are employed.

"First off, you don't talk Steph out of anything," said Zanatta.

Yes, her mother was worried, but did she try to talk her out of it?

"Absolutely not," said Zanatta.

Not many of the children Steph works with have shoes, let alone soccer cleats.

They were stepping on glass and rocks, and that is where the email comes in.

Steph emailed her mom, who has been teaching for three decades at the same school she attended.

The volunteer was asking for volunteers.

"In the email she got from her daughter, they would cut up their feet from not having shoes, and they would get diseases in their feet ... so I wanted to give them shoes," said student Greta Rose.

"I told my mom and dad. We have a ton of shoes. We will just give them all our shoes," said student Will Dervin.

It started with just shoes and turned into much more.

"Got some shin guards ... a little bit of everything," saidZanatta.

Shoes, shin guards, jerseys and the freckled faced, braces wearing, big smile sporting middle school kids even donated their trophies.

"I wasn't surprised, because here at St. Joseph we are a giving school," said student Rees Alena.

"I am very proud of these kids. Can't say enough about them ... their heart ... they were great," said Zanatta.

The giving was great and the packing wasn't a problem, but the cost to get it there was something they hadn't thought of.

"It is like a Tetrus game, gotta' make as many fit in a small space as possible," said Zanatta.

But that is where Sporting Kansas City and Lawrence Olum came to the rescue and paid for the shipping.

"When Father Mike announced that Sporting Kansas City had given the money, the kids faces just lit up when we told them," said Zanatta.

Olum is from Nairobi, Kenya, and his grandparents and his tribe is fromKisumu.

"The tribe is Luo. That is where my roots are from," said LawrenceOlum. "I want to tell them thank you. I can't express how grateful for what they are doing. It is really appreciated."

And in box No. 10, the last box to go out, Zanatta put a St. Thomas AquinasT-shirt on top.

"That will be the last one to go," said Zanatta.

The first box of shoes and gear arrived from the kids at St. Joseph earlier this week.

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