Given a chance to lend an assist in his new Los Angeles community, Evan Phillips didn’t hesitate. The day after the Dodger reliever threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings in Pittsburgh, he spent Thursday morning at a South Central Los Angeles elementary school helping distribute shoes to kids.
Phillips and his wife, Liz, assisted the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and Shoes That Fit in handing out 500 pairs of new athletic shoes to every student at 28th Street Elementary School.
“I remember when I was younger, anytime someone from a professional sports team, anything like that, when they had an event like that at school it was a super special day,” Phillips said. “It’s just a special day to see these guys, the joy on their faces. To get a new pair of shoes, there’s really nothing better.”
Shoes That Fit is a national nonprofit organization based in Claremont, California, tackling one of the most visible signs of poverty in America by giving children in need new athletic shoes to attend school with dignity and joy. Named a California Nonprofit of the Year, Shoes That Fit delivered new athletic shoes to more than 127,000 children across 50 states last year alone.
“The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation believes shoes can increase athletic ability, shoes can increase academic success, and frankly they give kids the chance to come to school,” said LADF CEO Nichol Whiteman. “At the end of the day, there are families whose kids are wearing shoes that are too small for them, and they’re choosing between shoes and putting food on the table. We want to help to alleviate that.”
LADF has partnered with Shoes That Fit since 2019, when LADF funded a co-branded trailer to help Shoes That Fit reach more children, expedite deliveries and ensure shoes get to the children and nonprofits who need them most.
Last August, the same month Phillips joined the team, LADF partnered with the Dodgers’ wives on a “Spouses Favorite Things Auction.” Through the support of Dodger fans, $20,000 was raised to support Shoes That Fit.
At 28th Street Elementary, shoes were provided to the entire student body Thursday after the kids were previously fitted. In addition, Whiteman announced that every student at the school would get the chance to attend a Dodger game this season.
“On the heels of the pandemic and the tragic explosion that happened on the adjacent streets of this school last year, it was an opportunity for us to do something really special for 28th Street Elementary — for the staff, for the students, for the principal — to really enlighten the rest of their year,” Whiteman said.
The kids at 28th Street Elementary School had been through a lot since last June, when the explosion Whiteman referenced damaged structures, injured 17 people and impacted the neighboring areas. She said there were families and students from the school still dealing with the trauma and ramifications from that event.
“We want to be able to support communities and give basic necessities to families that need it most,” Whiteman said.
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