Walk In Beauty Sneaker Delivery - Fall 2015

by Melyssa Holbrook

I feel very lucky to be the coordinator of the Walk In Beauty program.  Is it a paid position?  No.  Does it involve hundreds of hours of time and weeks away from my home each year?  Yes.  Do I love delivering sneakers to children at Navajo Elementary schools?  Yes!!  It is a special opportunity to be able to have the connection to the Diné  people and their land.

The Walk in Beauty sneaker delivery happens twice each year, usually April and September.  On this delivery, we brought 403 pair of brand new socks and sneakers to 15 Navajo Nation Elementary Schools.  That adds up to 806 pair of very happy feet!!!!

Joining me on this trip was my mother, Claudette (her 2nd delivery), and Dan, a first time ANE volunteer.  Having a third person to help, and having that person be a male was a HUGE help (for multiple reasons)!  I remember at Monument Valley School, I was trying to help a 1st grade boy take off his sneakers.  He didn’t want any help.  He wasn’t even saying any words to me, just gesturing with his head.  When it came time to try and put the new socks on his feet, he was really struggling.  His feet were so hot and sweaty that he couldn’t get the socks to slip on easily.  I asked him if he wanted me to do it for him.  He shook his head NO.  I asked him if he would let me help him.  Again, he shook his head NO.  I asked him if he wanted Dan to help.  I pointed over to Dan.  The little boy looked up.  He nodded his head YES!  Dan had never been to the Navajo Reservation before and had never experienced anything like this before.  It was a proud moment for him, that this little boy would accept his help.

Its hard to imagine the NEED in the United States of America, like the need that there is on the Navajo Reservation.  Something so basic as a pair of shoes and socks.  Of the 403 children that we put new socks on,  I would estimate that 90% of them were wearing socks that we would have already thrown away.  Socks with holes.  Socks that were worn so thin, you could see through them.  Some children weren’t wearing any socks.  Not because they thought it was cool, or just chose not to wear any that day.  Because as one boy said “We don’t have those at my house.”  A 4th grade girl at Many Farms School came in wearing only one sock.  And a boy at Mesa View School in Chinle said to me, “These will be the only socks that I have.”
But then there are the happy comments! 
“How did you know that I always wanted new sneakers?”
“These are racing socks!”
“These shoes are awesome sauce!”
“Today is my birthday.  This is a great birthday present!”
“Yay!  My new shoes are finally here!”

The pictures above show the pride and excitement that these children have about receiving a pair of brand new sneakers.  Something so simple.  Something so small.  Do you feel like this when you put on a new pair of shoes?

When we arrived at Black Mesa School, people were outside cooking fry bread and tortillas, and roasting mutton and peppers, for later that afternoon.  It was parent night at the school of 60 students.  Once we had completed the task of fitting 30 students with new sneakers, they offered for us to come eat with them.  It sure was good!

We had even more help at the Leupp and Dilcon schools.  A granddaughter of one of the Elders in the ANE program had approached me earlier in the year and said she wanted to be able to give back to the program that had done so much for her family.  So I contacted her a few weeks before the deliveries to see if she was still interested.  She was!

And then again at Rocky Ridge Boarding School, the Whitehair/Robertson family came to help.  Doing good, makes people feel good.  So the more the merrier!

And then of course, there was the special moment of showing Martin Whitehair the newly published Walk In Beauty – A Navajo Shoe Adventure book, that I wrote and he illustrated!

And while we were in the area, we were privileged to make kneel-down bread with the family!

There are so many good memories of each and every sneaker delivery.  No two deliveries are ever the same.  The experiences at each school are all so different.  At some schools we are in the gym, at other schools we are in a classroom, or the nurse’s office, or the lobby.  Some schools are new, and some are over 40 years old.  But EVERY school is happy to see us come!  At Aneth Community School, a couple of parents came in with their children to thank us and tell us how appreciative they are.  At another school, a couple of the women that work in the lunch room joked with us that they needed new shoes too!  And at another school, a couple of the maintenance men wanted to know what they could do to help, and that they were so grateful for what we were doing for “their kids”.
Of course the kids are the reason that we are there.  And they say the cutest things!

A 3rd grade boy at Black Mesa School exclaimed, “It’s a good thing that you guys always come around here, because we torture our shoes!”.
“These shoes give me extra boost!”
“Wow!  These shoes feel way better than my cousins.  I’m gonna give his back to him now.”

In the end, it doesn’t matter what the children or the adults say, or don’t say.  Their faces say it all!

For more information or to make a donation please visit the Walk In Beauty page of our web site.

Walk In Beauty - Fall 2014

by Melyssa Holbrook

 

I don’t know who you are ….

I don’t know where you came from ….

But THANK YOU!!!!!

These were words spoken by a Navajo P.E. teacher as my mother and I were setting up in the gymnasium at Little Singer Elementary school. We had the sneakers displayed on a corner of the bleachers.  We had just fitted five 2^nd graders with their new sneakers.  They were so excited, they had gone directly over to the P.E. teachers office to show him what they had gotten.  They were giggling and wiggling and could not stand still.  The teacher engaged them in their silliness and played along in their innocent and pure excitement.   After the children went back to class, the teacher walked towards the middle of the gym and announced loudly and sincerely “I don’t know who you are, I don’t know where you came from, but Thank You!”

At Rough Rock, a new school that was brought into the Walk In Beauty Program this season, another school employee watched us from a doorway.  After seeing the happy, smiling faces of her students, she slowly approached us to say “I am not a parent.  But thank you so much for doing what you do.  It is needed.”

Heartfelt and genuine words of thanks were spoken often by the adults at the schools we delivered to during this Fall delivery;  the custodian at Many Farms, as he helped us in bringing the many bags of sneakers into the building, and then again as we left, still needing help with 4 large totes of sneakers that we bring to each school as extras,  to ensure that we have plenty of options in case the sneakers we have brought specifically for each child do not fit once we arrive;  the bus driver/special education teacher at Cottonwood Day School had juice and donuts waiting for us when we arrived, as well as 2 student helpers to bring the children to us in groups by grade level;  and parents visiting at Dilkon School as they passed by children trying on new sneakers, stopped to ask who we were and how much we were selling our sneakers for …shocked that the sneakers were free and that we were giving them away, grateful for the quality sneakers.  “Do you have any in my size?” one father said with a huge grin.

As pleasing as it is to hear the adults express their appreciation for the sneakers, nothing compares to the excitement of the children as they walk into the room and see the sneakers we have laid out, each with an individual name tag, the smile and the anticipation in their faces and the look of joy on their face when we hand them the sneakers that have their name on the tag. 

The children are a bit embarrassed to take of their socks in front of us, but we have also brought them all new socks to go with their new sneakers.  As they take off their old socks, we can see that many have holes and are so bare thin that there is not much material between their skin and the shoe.  As one boy struggles to pull his new sock on over his hot and sweaty foot, he quietly tells me “These socks are cold”.  “Cold?” I say.  “Yes, my other ones were very hot” he says.  Two 3^rd grade girls love the pink camouflage socks that we brought for them.

There are many heartfelt moments throughout the trip.  Two of the moments that stand out for both my mother and I are these:

 

·        After we had finished our delivery at Tsaile school (about 30 miles east of Canyon de Chelly), we were done at the schools for the day.  We decided to do a little sightseeing.  We drove Navajo Rt 13 past Lukachukai, over the pass towards New Mexico.  It is a gorgeous road!!!  There are miles of red rock, lots of cliffs and mesas, and then into the forest with tall trees, pines, cones and moss.  After this scenic side trip, we were driving back through Tsaile as buses were dropping off kids at their long dirt driveways.  We saw two sisters that we had given sneakers to hours earlier.  They were half running, half skipping down their driveway towards their mother, swinging from their hands were their old sneakers.  It is a very sweet snapshot in my mind.

·        At Dilkon, a 1^st grade girl whispered to my mother, “Thanks for the sneakers.  My dad was waiting to get me a new pair when he sells our cow.

It is a very uplifting and yet humbling experience to help others.  On this trip we delivered 275 sneakers (and socks) to 10 schools.  We drove over 1700 miles.  Traveling on the Navajo Reservation is not always simple.  Roads are not always marked.  Roads are not always paved.  Maps do not always accurately depict reservation roads.  And the roads often times are scattered with hazards; sheep, cows, horses, even areas where the road has been washed away!  It is an adventure.  And it is gorgeous!

I am already thinking about the Spring delivery …….

Walk In Beauty - Spring 2014

by Melyssa Holbrook

(Note: Melyssa is the new director of the Walk In Beauty Program)

It was a beautiful Spring morning as my friend (since the 6th grade) Patti and I headed south from Grantsville, Utah, to the Navajo Reservation.  We would be delivering brand new sneakers to 11 schools.  As the new coordinator for Walk In Beauty, I was filled with excitement and also a little anxiety about the unknown.  This position is a huge undertaking.  I really wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly.  Of course, nothing is ever perfect, but I did all that I could to make sure that each school was scheduled, times and places were predetermined with each school coordinator, shoes were labeled and packed, and children were anxiously awaiting their brand new pair of sneakers!

Our first morning would ease us into the 10 day trip as we only had 1 school scheduled for delivery. Each day after that would be 2 schools per day.  30 children at Monument Valley Elementary were excited to receive their own pair of brand new and proper fitting sneakers!  This is something that I think most of us take for granted.  Most of us have many shoes.  Most of us think nothing of buying ourselves a new pair of shoes . . just because.  It has never occurred to many of us that there are children, and adults, right here in our own country, that have never had a brand new pair of shoes, who wear shoes that are too tight, or 2 sizes too large for their feet, or shoes that are so worn, tattered and full of holes that their socks can NEVER stay clean because of all the dirt and debris that is constantly passing through.

The Navajo Reservation encompasses over 27,000 square miles, about the size of the state of West Virginia.  56% live below the poverty level.  Less than 24% complete the 9th grade.  40% have NO electricity.  The area is so vast and remote than many schools on the Navajo Reservation are boarding schools.  Students live at the school Monday thru Thursday and only go home on the weekends.  For families with many children, this is a mixed blessing.  The boarding schools keep their children safe, provide 3 meals a day, laundry services, and homework help.  But it is also very hard having your family separated for so often.

While delivering sneakers for Walk-In-Beauty, we see first-hand the hardships that many Navajos face.  We also see the pride and hard work that so many people are putting into the children and their future.  The children that are receiving our sneakers are appreciative of, and grateful for, this gift.  Not only do these sneakers provide physical comfort, they provide a needed benefit of self-esteem and self-worth.

One child, when entering the room and seeing all the sneakers laid out said “Are these all for us?”
A first grade girl said, “ These are the softest socks I have ever had!”

The excitement and joy in their eyes is enough thanks for Patti and I.  But the children thank us over and over, and a couple children even stop back into the room later on in morning while we are still fitting other children with their brand new sneakers to say Thank You again.

A BIG “Thank You” to Patricia Bigman for being such a huge help and coordinating a smooth delivery at Monument Valley Elementary School!

Day 2 brought us to Canyon de Chelly Elementary and Tsaile Public School where we matched 61 pair of sneakers with 61 smiling faces.

At Tsaile, a 2nd grade boy struggled to tie his sneakers.  After spending a few minutes showing him the “Bunny ears” method of shoe-lace tying, he was so happy to have done it himself.  “Thanks for showing me how to tie my shoes”, he said.  One girl ran back into the family coordinator room about a half hour after leaving wearing her shoes.  She was almost screaming … “I love these shoes!!!  I don’t ever want to take them off!””

These 2 boys were looking pretty proud in their new sneakers.

Delivery Day #3 found us at Many Farms and Pinon.

Apparently we had brought with us some of the softest socks known to man!  There were so many comments just about the socks . . .
“These socks are so cushy”
“These are the most comfortable socks I have ever worn!”
“Wow!  These socks are soft!”
“I love these socks!”

Of course, the sneakers get rave reviews as well …..
“I don’t ever want to get these sneakers dirty!”
“I’m going to save these for a special occasion”
“These sneakers are so comfortable, they might put my feet to sleep”
“These are awesome!  They massage my legs even!”
“I just hope they can make me run faster than the dogs”

Delivery Day #4 was a scavenger hunt just for Patti and I to find the schools!!!  Both Rocky Ridge and Black Mesa Schools are on dirt roads.  I think we drove over 100 miles on dirt roads that day!  But we didn’t mind at all!  The scenery is absolutely stunning.  Plus we saw herds of sheep. Some cows and horses may have been trying to stop us from our duties by blocking the road, and we even saw 2 pronghorn!  After getting a little dusty, we arrived to deliver 50 pair of sneakers to very deserving a happy children.

Delivery Day #5 we arrived at Dilkon and Seba Dalkai.  We were lucky enough to arrive at Seba Dalkai while they were having a fundraiser and selling Navajo Tacos!  YUM!!!!

So after getting all the children fitted into the right sized sneakers and getting the library put back in order from our rearranging, we enjoyed a delicious lunch outside in the sunshine!  Our trip had provided us with perfect weather, a little windy on some days, but sunny and warm.

Not only were these sneakers full of holes and falling apart … they were about 2 inches too long for the 5th grade boy that was wearing them.  Had said that he had been wearing them all school year, and that he had gotten them from his brother.  He was full of smiles when he left wearing his new sneakers.

Our last day was spent at Leupp and Little Singer.

A 1st grade girl, after trying on her sneakers said, “Do I get to keep these?”

A 3rd grade boy was so excited with his sneakers, he said “I want to run until I find gold or iron!”

One of the faculty at Little Singer gave us school t-shirts as a thank you for bringing sneakers to their students.  It was a nice surprise, since we were there to give, not receive.  The Navajo people are a very generous and kind-hearted people.  It's always so heartwarming to be a part of something so deserving and needed as the Walk-In-Beauty Program, and Adopt-A-Native-Elder.  At EVERY school, someone always thanked us for our generosity, the bus driver, security staff, receptionist, the principal ….   Good deeds make everyone feel good!

I look forward to seeing many more happy faces next Fall!

If you wish to contact to Walk-In-Beauty, please email me (Melyssa) at walkinbeauty@hotmail.com
Donations can be sent to:
Adopt-A-Native-Elder, PO Box 3401,  Park City, Utah  84060 or can be made through our web site.