When Abbie Silverman and her mom, Claudette, returned home from The Oprah Show, they pooled their money and came up with a plan.
Abbie, a first grade teacher at Liberty Elementary School in Pittsburgh, says new shoes are a luxury for many of her students. To help these children take a step in the right direction, Abbie and Claudette decided to buy new sneakers for all 425 students. They enlisted the help of Abbie's sister, who works in a shoe store, and before they knew it, the store had matched their donation!
When Merrell footwear heard about Abbie and Claudette's mission, the company decided to donate all 425 pairs! "I love my shoes, Oprah, and I love you," one little girl says.
To teach her students about helping others, Abbie came up with another great idea. In less than a week, she organized a walk-a-thon to raise money for the local children's hospital. Abbie, Claudette and the students of Liberty Elementary raised more than $63,000.
