It’s not uncommon for students in villages in Africa to have to walk over rock-strewn roads and brambles just to get to school. Many of those students don’t have shoes to protect their feet.

That’s why members of York High School’s Key Club collected 1,000 pairs of shoes that were sent to the O’Brien School for the Maasai. The shoes were delivered to the rural school in Tanzania in March. They were included in a shipping container that held other items going to the school such as desks and other school-related necessities. (Photos: Shoes are shipped to Africa)

The Soles for Africa Shoe Drive was started by Rich Rosenberg, a member of the Elmhurst Kiwanis Club and owner of Elmhurst Camera. The Key Club is a Kiwanis organization that helps high school students learn about the hard work that goes into helping others, and the benefits that come from it.

Key Club members Anna Talamo and Kelsey Mills, who organized the shoe drive, said they learned about the tremendous amount of time and effort it takes to run a large charitable project.

“We learned to communicate better and how to get the word out about the shoe drive,” Talamo said.

Rosenberg started the Soles for Shoes Drive after visiting a school in Africa a few years ago and learning that many students attended school barefoot because they didn’t have the resources to buy shoes. When he returned to Elmhurst he decided to start the non-profit and enlist students at York in helping to collect shoes.

“It’s kids helping other kids,” he said.

Members of the Key Club said they like knowing that their efforts are helping others about their age in a distant land.

“The coolest thing for us is that we get to say, ‘We donated a thousand pairs of shoes to Africa,’” said Mills. “It feels great to know that we put shoes on 1000 people’s feet.