Before the shelves were stocked and the ribbons began to fill the wall, the idea behind Sarah’s Soles began inside the Suburban Access clothing closet.
Staff member Dodi Wians was still getting to know the space when she noticed the same pattern repeating. Parents would come in hoping to find shoes, only to realize the sizes were wrong or the pairs were too worn to pass along. One child might find something. Another walked away with nothing.
That need connected back to a wish already sitting on the desk of Outreach Director Nick Koster. Wians said he kept a “master list” of long-term goals for the community, and near the top was a simple but meaningful one: new shoes for anyone who needed them. It was a goal she came to understand completely once she started working directly with families.
“I didn’t really get it until I was in here working,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I get it.’”
Kristen Ryan, center, and her family cut the ribbon on March 26 to mark the opening of Sarah's Soles, named after Kristen's late daughter. Dodi Wians, left, and Geni Cutler, right, of Suburban Access hold the ribbon. (Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)
A friend stepped in next. She took Wians out for coffee and asked what the organization needed most. Wians explained the gap she kept seeing and Koster’s hope of offering brand-new shoes instead of relying on whatever donations happened to come in. A week later, that friend returned with a check and a request. She and her family wanted the project created in honor of her daughter, Sarah.
Sarah Ryan lived with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, and her family had established a foundation in her memory.
Naming the program Sarah’s Soles gave the new effort a purpose and a story.
“They were thrilled,” Wians said of the Ryan family’s reaction. “We had a ribbon cutting, and they were all here.” A photo of Sarah now hangs on the wall of the shoe room, a reminder of the family behind it.
Since launching in February, the room has filled and emptied many times. Each time a pair goes out, staff hang a ribbon on the wall. The display has grown quickly. Children’s shoes go fastest. Men’s sizes are always needed. A recent grant from the Flossmoor Service League helped staff restock for winter, and Wians hopes to eventually secure wholesale accounts so funding can stretch further.
Executive Director Geni Cutler often walks visitors through the space to show what the program means in practice. Families come in weekly for clothing assistance, and shoes are among the most common requests.
“I have a thing about people putting their feet into dirty shoes,” she said. “Giving someone new shoes gives them dignity.”
Wians works full time at Suburban Access. She wanted the room to feel like a small store, not a handout. Families can browse, compare sizes and styles, and choose what fits.
“It should feel normal,” she said. “People should be able to choose the shoes that fit their life.”
Sarah’s Soles continues to grow, but its purpose hasn’t changed. It honors the girl whose name is on the wall and relies on a community that consistently shows up for one another.
To make a donation to support Sarah’s Soles, visit givebutter.com/sarahssoles.
