Nicholas Lowinger – Incredible Teen Has Sole for the Homeless
When he was just 5 years old, Nicholas Lowinger visited a homeless shelter with his mom. While there, he wanted to show off his new light up shoes. However, with his mom’s guidance, he realized this would not be a good idea. That is because when he looked around, many of the kids did not have shoes or had shoes that were falling apart.
Nicholas then learned that some of the kids shared their shoes with a member of their family or missed school because another family member was wearing the shoes that day. He noticed that other children had sores on their feet from wearing shoes that were not the right size. Nicholas started by donating his used shoes and clothing to the homeless.
A few years later, when it came time to perform a service project for his Bar Mitzvah, Nicholas knew exactly what he wanted to do. That is when his charity, Gotta Have Sole Foundation, was born.
His charity focuses on providing new shoes to homeless kids to give them something that not only fits them, but is truly theirs. Since he began 5 years ago, his efforts have provided new shoes to over 45,000 children in homeless shelters in 38 states across the USA!
Nicholas also recently started a new program called, Serving Love, which provides sports footwear to disadvantaged children so they can participate in the sport of their choice.
Check out his amazing story below:
Here is an earlier interview with Nicholas:
Additional Resources:
- Learn more about the Gotta Have Sole Foundation
- Here are several more videos about Nicholas and Gotta Have Sole
- Learn facts about youth homelessness here
- Watch other great IMK stories about children and adults that exhibit caring
- Read IMK’s list of great quotes for kids about caring
Topics for Discussion:
- What character traits does Nicholas exhibit?
- What inspired Nicholas to take action and do something to help the homeless?
- Why is it so important to treat everyone with respect and dignity?
Take Action:
- Start a Gotta Have Sole Chapter in your school
- Here is a list of many ways that you can help the homeless
