Sneakers displayed: There are the cardboard cutouts that hang in the altar area of the Christ United Methodist Church, each pair representing gifts to Lehigh Community Services, which hands out gift cards for the sneakers and backpacks to some 250 elementary school students Thursday. Joann Landess Ross is chairman of the Back to School Sneakers Program at the church. She cuts out replicas of cardboard sneakers like these and hangs them in the altar. The church’s pastor is the Rev. Carlos Otero, who has mentioned the project in some of his sermons. Photo by Mel Toadvine

For the past month or more, members of the congregation of the Christ United Methodist Church, have abandoned their “dress up shoes,” on Sunday mornings and instead have been wearing plain sneakers to church, all to celebrate something they have been doing for at least the past five years, donating money to buy sneakers for Lehigh school children going back to school.

“The people here at the church are enjoying it,” said Charlene Golden, the church’s office administrator. “Our members and guests who come to Sunday service, put extra money, usually a $10 bill, in a separate envelope when the plate is passed around for the morning regular offerings.

“And when we go out to the shunt-ins and others who can’t make it to church, they are also excited about giving money to help the church purchase gift cards from Walmart that will go toward a pair of sneakers for children returning to school on Aug. 8.

“There’s nothing better than new sneakers, a new backpack and school supplies when a student returns that first day,” said Rae Nicely, the executive director at Lehigh Community Services. “We got a check from them for $2,000 for gift cards for sneakers.”

“We appreciate so much what they do at the Christ United Methodist Church. They really have gone out of their way and those gift cards are so much appreciated by the kids who are going back to school. Many don’t have new sneakers when school starts and it means a lot to them.”

In the sanctuary: Charlene Golden, office administrator for Christ United Methodist Church at 1430 Homestead Rd. points to some of the 200 “cardboard sneakers” representing the gifts from the congregation that will be given away Thursday at Lehigh Community Services in its annual Back To School Supplies giveaway. Photo by Mel Toadvine

The Sneaker Project at Christ United Methodist Church on Homestead Rd. is a project headed by Joann Landess Ross who each week now for the past five or six weeks has put something in the church bulletin encouraging people to donate 10 bucks for a gift card for a pair of sneakers.

And Golden says she helps Ross sometimes on the copying machine to print out “cardboard sneakers” to be hung in the altar of the church.

“It’s very colorful in the sanctuary,” Golden said. “When we have more money given, we are able to hang up a mock rendition of another pair of sneakers.

“Joann Ross really gets all the credit for making this a real success along with our congregation,” Golden said.

Ross has been writing in the church bulletin: “Wear your sneakers to church during the month of July to remind everyone to donate $10 to reach the goal of the Mission Committee to supply 200 pairs of sneakers for those children who wouldn’t have any shoes for school.“

Christ Church Sanctuary. This is an overview shot of the altar area of the Christ United Methodist Church sanctuary showing the cardboard sneakers hanging in the background. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Ross said since the Sneakers Project began some years ago, Christ United Methodist Church has supplied more than 1,037 pairs of sneakers.

“Those who have given donations are bringing a bit of joy to a child’s life,” Ross said.

The sneakers are matched up with backpacks that the children are given each year, Nicely, at Community Services, said.

This year’s school supply giveaway, put on every year with the help of the community, will be held tomorrow, Thursday, June 28, Nicely said.

Registration for school supplies ended last week and tomorrow volunteers will be on hand, among them Joann Landess Ross from the church, who will be helping to give away school supplies.

Nicely said in addition to the 200 pairs of sneakers, Lehigh Community Services also hands out free backpacks. Some 150 backpacks come from The new Life Assembly of God church on Leonard Blvd. and the rest this year from a group of firefighters and from some of the board members of Lehigh Community Services.

Nicely said there are school supplies for 250 elementary school-aged children. Last year, she said she had requests from around 350 families.

“But there are other agencies in the county that are also giving away school supplies, so if someone calls and did not register, we tell them of other places they can go, such as the 3rd Annual Back to School Blast at the Edison Mall on July 30 beginning at 10 a.m. and finishing up at 2 p.m.

That event is being provided through a partnership between Edison Mall and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County, which has a club site in Lehigh, with sponsorship provided by 105.5 the Beat radio station.

The purpose of the Back to School Blast event is to provide local youth and their families an opportunity to explore available youth programs and services, while enjoying a community event that creates excitement for the upcoming school year, said Shannon D. Lane, director of operations and programs of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County.

The people at Christ United Methodist Church in Lehigh want to remind families not to come to the church to get free sneakers.

“We don’t have them here. We buy the gift cards and they are given to Lehigh Community Services to hand out to those that have registered,” Charlene Golden said.