{"id":21694,"date":"2024-02-28T14:29:18","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T19:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multi.nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyn-sneakerhead-empowers-youth-through-footwear-passion\/"},"modified":"2025-02-13T09:40:35","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T14:40:35","slug":"brooklyn-sneakerhead-empowers-youth-through-footwear-passion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyn-sneakerhead-empowers-youth-through-footwear-passion\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn Sneakerhead Empowers Youth Through Footwear Passion"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brianna Robles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like any other sneakerhead, Rhee Andrews, founder of the nonprofit Communal Sole Club<\/a>, always rocks\u00a0the flyest kicks wherever she goes.<\/p>\n

Wearing great sneakers is the foundation of a stylish outfit, Andrews said. But she also knows that many Brooklyn children cannot afford them. As a high school sports coach, she saw many students, as well as children in her community, were\u00a0always in desperate need of clothing and shoes.<\/p>\n

She figured what better way to give back than with sneakers \u2014 an item she loved.\u00a0\u00a0Now, Communal Sole Club hosts sneaker drives for children and young adults all over Brooklyn and the East Coast.<\/p>\n

Over 20 children gathered in Brownsville at the\u00a0Family Enrichment Center<\/a>\u00a0on Tuesday to receive more than 60 pairs of sneakers to add to their wardrobe. The giveback included sneaker customizations, cleaning and arcade games for children and young adults.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s not just so kids have access to sneakers, but also it ties into a portion of confidence,\u201d explained Andrews. \u201c[It\u2019s] being able to give themselves a little bit of style and allow themselves an opportunity to just express themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The initial idea for the giveaway started in 2021 when Andrews wanted to organize a volunteer opportunity for the younger generation in her hometown of New Bedford, Mass.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2022, Andrews brought the initiative to Brooklyn and has since hosted four\u00a0givebacks in the borough and has given away over 1,000 pairs of shoes.<\/p>\n

\"communal-sole-club2\"
Communal Sole Club hosts sneaker givebacks for local youth.\u00a0Photo: Provided\/Rhee Andrews<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Instead of wasting shoes that are out of style or that no longer fit, Andrews’ model allows those who have excess shoes to give them to a good cause.<\/p>\n

The organization accepts donations in several ways. Currently one drop-off bin is located at the Brownsville Family Enrichment Center, but the bins are rotated through\u00a0various locations in\u00a0Midwood, Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy.<\/p>\n

You can also schedule a pick-up by reaching out to the\u00a0organization<\/a>\u00a0via their social media pages.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main goal and focus of Communal Sole\u00a0is wherever we receive the donation, the donation stays because there’s a need in every community,\u201d said Andrews.<\/p>\n

On occasion,\u00a0drop-off bins are placed in local small businesses.\u00a0This brings\u00a0foot traffic to local mom-and-pops\u00a0and makes it easy for patrons to donate their unused sneakers while getting to know their local businesses, she\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

Andrews said her mission is bigger than sneakers. As a community engager, Community Sole Club hosts other events like neighborhood cleanups, holiday parties for children and sneaker design workshops where youth can let their creativity run free when designing a pair of shoes.<\/p>\n

In addition, Communal Sole\u00a0has collaborated with other local organizations including\u00a0PeacePlayers USA<\/a>,\u00a0The Service Collective<\/a>\u00a0and the clothing brand\u00a0DWOE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Andrews said she is looking to expand her sneaker givebacks to other cities. Currently, they are run in New York City, Massachusetts and in the Washington D.C. area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Brianna Robles Like any other sneakerhead, Rhee Andrews, founder of the nonprofit Communal Sole Club, always rocks\u00a0the flyest kicks wherever she goes. Wearing great sneakers is the foundation of a stylish outfit, Andrews said. But she also knows that many Brooklyn children cannot afford them. As a high school sports coach, she saw many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5893,"featured_media":21695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-whats-buzzin"],"yoast_head":"\nBrooklyn Sneakerhead Empowers Youth Through Footwear Passion - Brooklyn News and Events<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyn-sneakerhead-empowers-youth-through-footwear-passion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brooklyn Sneakerhead Empowers Youth Through Footwear Passion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Brianna Robles Like any other sneakerhead, Rhee Andrews, founder of the nonprofit Communal Sole Club, always rocks\u00a0the flyest kicks wherever she goes. 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