RSL legend Nick Rimando joined with current Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals players to greet students from Mountain View Elementary at the “Warm the Soles” program at America First Field on Dec. 4.
More than 540 students received new pairs of shoes during the event sponsored by the America First Charitable Foundation and the Real Salt Lake Community Foundation. (Tom Haraldsen/Salt Lake Business Journal)
For the past 31 years, the America First Credit Union’s Charitable Foundation has been providing Christmas joy for needy students with its “Warm the Soles” program. On Dec. 4, players from Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals partnered with AFCU to sponsor a field trip to America First Field in Sandy, then surprised more than 540 students from Mountain View Elementary School with new pairs of shoes.
“This is our third year partnering with RSL,” said Amber Greenwell, director of the foundation. “The shoes are actually purchased by the America First Charitable Foundation. There are 548 students that will arrive here today.”
Students from the Title I school in Salt Lake City were met by team members, including RSL legend Nick Rimando; RSL team president John Kimball; and team members Zavier Gozo, Brecken Mozingo and San Junqua. The students got a tour of the stadium, were presented with new shoes, visited with Santa and Mrs. Claus, then enjoyed lunch.
“We do have a fundraising event that we do each year, and then our members and our employees also make contributions,” Greenwell said. “We have quite a few schools that request to come. We really try to spread it across multiple districts. We work very closely with the Salt Lake City School District to identify the best school and the biggest impact we can make for those individuals who might need a little more this holiday season.”
Greenwell said teams of volunteers went to the school and took measurements well ahead of the event.
“So everyone of the kids will have a pair of shoes that will fit them to their exact size,” she said. “They showed up here today and had no idea that they were going to get the field trip of a lifetime.”
She said young kids are unique in that they don’t ask a lot of questions, “so when we came to measure feet, they were like, ‘This sounds great.’ No idea they’d come to the stadium, meet players, get free lunch, but also leave here with a brand-new pair of shoes.”
America First CU began the program in Weber County, where the corporate headquarters is located. Over the years, it has expanded the program into all six states where the credit union has branches, and now it supports 45 different programs and school districts.
“We know that essential items are expensive, especially this holiday season, and we’re finding that more and more families are having to choose between putting food on tables or buying those essential items,” Greenwell said. “Shoes are expensive, and we realize that especially in this K-sixth grade they’re growing at a rapid rate. Parents might not have the money to keep up with the continued growth of the child, and some of those kids will go without a new pair of shoes, meaning they’ll be wearing shoes that are way too small. We want them to feel good about themselves.”
This year, over 4,000 students will receive shoes under the program.
“It isn’t just about the shoe,” Greenwell said. “It’s that they feel and know they have the resources to be successful.”