Madeline Whitman

Teen Activism
February 4, 2016

Helping the Homeless

Above: Nicholas Lowinger with all of the boxes of shoes he donates to children

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Facts
3. One Activists Story
4. How the Activist Helps
5. About the Foundation
6. How Can You Help?
7. Conclusion
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Introduction
Imagine you get out of school and dont have a place to go home to. This
is what homeless children face every day. In this article, I will go through how
Nicholas Lowinger is trying to help these children and the story of a family
going through the difficulty of homelessness. I will teach you about the
homeless youth throughout America. Lastly, I will tell you how you can help
the homeless youth. My evidence will reveal how you and other people can
help the homeless.

The Facts
There are many reasons why homeless people are dont have homes.
For example, the childs parents are engaged in
substance abuse
(drug abuse)
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or have mental health issues. They were abused at home, the family has been
homeless previously, or even just because they are
LGBT
(Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender)
.
Lastly, some children have been in foster care. Now,
on to the statistics. Approximately 1.7 million are homeless and live on the
streets each year. Around 40% of the homeless youth are LGBT. Also, 9% of the
homeless population is under 18 and 42% of that number were under 5 years
old. Approximately 5,000 homeless young will die each year.(Safe Horizon)
This fact reveals that there are way too many homeless children on the streets
and that too many are dying. Lastly, 43% of men and 39% of women were
assaulted while on the streets.

Above: Chart of why people are homeless.

One Activists Story

Nicholas Lowinger is a teenager who helps homeless children have
shoes. He first got interested when he was 5 years old. It started when his
grandfather told him a story about when he was younger and his family was
very poor. Most of his clothes were hand-me-downs and he had to wear shoes
that didnt fit him. Nicholas wished that he would of been able to help his
grandfather and provide him with shoes. Nicholas said "It has always been my
hope that the children will feel more confident about themselves because they
have new shoes to call their own, and that they will have the same
opportunities afforded to them as their peers." (People News). Nicholas
wanted all kids to be able to do the same things and not be divided from their
peers just because they didnt have the proper shoes. His mother then took
him to a homeless shelter. Nicholas saw all of the kids without shoes or with
shoes that didnt fit them and immediately wanted to help. So, he went home
and gathered all of his shoes that didnt fit him and brought them back to the
homeless shelter. Later on he realized that it would probably be better for
children to have a new pair of shoes instead of his old ones, So in 2010 they
launched the Gotta Have Sole foundation to help raise money to buy
children shoes. By the first year 400 children had received shoes. They have
over 32 sponsors donating shoes to the foundation so that kids can have
shoes. By 2016 they hope to help shelters in all 50 states. If the Gotta Have
Sole foundation helps kids all around the country then they will be able to do
things they have always wanted to do but never could because they didnt
have the proper shoes.

Above: Nicholas when he was younger

How The Activist Helps

Nicholas has helped many families while doing this foundation including
this one. A mom of 2 was laid off of her job right before Thanksgiving. The
family was forced to leave their home and move into a homeless shelter in
Rhode Island. The kids names were John and Johneya. The only shoes they
had were flat ballet shoes that were peeling (Johneya) and sneakers that were
dirty and worn out (John). Their mother couldnt buy them new shoes because
then she wouldnt be able to buy medicine and other things when necessary.
Nicholas decided to help. He gave them both a new pair of sneakers and
winter boots. The mom then said It definitely made me happy to see my
children in a better mood, and it took a little stress off of me It warmed my

heart. (People Website)The significance of this quote is that something like

giving someone new shoes can make them so happy.

Above: Nicholas helping a family.

About The Foundation

Nicholas Lowinger is a teenager with a big heart. He started a
foundation called the Gotta Have Sole foundation. The foundation has
distributed nearly 16,000 shoes in 32 states. In the first year Nicholas and his
sponsors had given out over 400 shoes. Nicholas has helped
accommodate
(to help or assist) over 31,000 homeless children in 38 states

Nicholas says
he's "trying to also change peoples mindsets about homeless people, that
they're just people who have fallen on hard

times." (Today Website)

This quote
means that Nicholas is trying to make people think differently about homeless
people and that they are the same as every other person in the world and you
shouldnt treat them any differently.
Nicholas has 32 sponsors that donate
shoes to the foundation. He operates his business in his garage in Cranston,

RI. The way the foundation works is, shelters send in orders for shoes and
then Nicholas gets the shoes and sends them back to the shelter for the kids
to wear. Nicholas has over 2,000 volunteers in 5 different states. By 2016
they hope to reach all 50 states.

Above: Gotta Have Sole Foundation (click on picture to go to the website)

How Can You Help?

There are many things you can do to help the homeless. First, respect
and be kind to them, give them food, donate clothing, and donate toys. You
can also help by volunteering at a homeless shelter, or teaching the
homeless or if you are someone who can employ people, then employ the
homeless. Also you can help them find a shelter!! Lastly, the most obvious
thing is to DONATE money! You can donate to many foundations including
the
http://www.gottahavesole.org/ghs/
.

Every $10 that is donated provides

one more pair of shoes. (Gotta Have Sole Foundation.)

Conclusion
Hopefully one day we can live in a world where all children have a home
to go to after school. Until youth homelessness ends I will continue to research
this topic and will donate to organizations that will help children in need. You
can also help! There are many things you can do to help with this cause; Such

as, donating, helping at shelters, or giving homeless people you see on the
streets food. If you start helping out with this cause now, WE can make a
difference!

Work Cited
Safe Horizon. Homeless Youth Statistics & Facts. Web. January 28, 2016

http://www.safehorizon.org/page/homeless-youth-statistics--facts-69.html
Breuer, Howard. Teenager Nicholas Lowinger Gives Thousands of

Shoes to Homeless . People.com. Web. March 27, 2014. January 28,

2016.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20800344,00.html
Serico, Chris. Teen's 'Gotta Have Sole' shoe charity kick-starts hope for

31,000 homeless kids. Today.com. Web. March 13, 2015. January 28,
2016
http://www.today.com/news/teens-gotta-have-sole-charity-kick-starts-hopehomeless-kids-t8361
The Today Show. He's got 'sole': 17-year-old gives shoes to homeless

kids.Web. Video. March 12, 2015. January 28, 2015.

http://www.today.com/video/today/57102258
CNN. CNN Hero: Nicholas Lowinger. Web. Video. September 26, 2013.

January 28, 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smSEUAYdhtQ
Gotta Have A Sole Foundation. Web. January 28, 2016

http://www.gottahavesole.org/ghs/
Nicholas Lowinger.Google. Picture 1

http://free2luv.org/assets/Nicholas-Lowinger-Gotta-Have-Sole-Foundation-jp
g.jpg
Statistics Chart. Picture 2. Google

http://porchlightinc.org/wp-content/uploads/Slide6.jpg
Gotta Have Sole Foundation. Picture 3.Google

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iD1o1j4Q-YIE7AnfY4Wdc6m8rmx9sRm
HtWm_stADfDg/edit
35 ways to help the Homeless. Web. Just Give.org. January 28, 2016

https://www.justgive.org/donations/help-homeless.jsp

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