A winning combination of soul and soles has enabled Healdsburg High School alumnus Myriah Volk to change the lives of kids across Sonoma County.
Through a nonprofit named Shoes 4 Kidz, the 43-year-old Volk aims to provide one good pair of new athletic shoes for every child who needs them. Since she started the organization in 2015, Shoes 4 Kidz has doled out close to 2,000 pairs of sneakers overall, including hundreds to wildfire victims last year.
Here’s how the nonprofit works.
First, through contacts in school districts, youth organizations and communities at large, Shoes 4 Kidz identifies which child or children need new athletic shoes. Volk or one of her colleagues sizes the child or children in need and asks about any special color requests. With this information, Shoes 4 Kidz purchases new shoes. Finally, with the shoes in hand, Volk or a colleague hand-delivers the shoes directly to the child or children in need.
From beginning to end, the process usually takes no more than 1-2 weeks. The result, of course, lasts far, far longer than that.
“One small act, like giving a child a new pair of shoes can make a world of difference for that child,” says Volk, who graduated HHS in 1993. “Not only can the shoes lead to better fitness and health, but they can help a child feel better about himself (or herself) too.”
After the fires the giving process was incredibly streamlined. Volk leveraged social media, got a friend to lend the organization a cargo van, and set up a mobile shoe store that she drove to Piner High School on the day of an event for fire survivors. Throughout the day, kids came up, identified display shoes they liked, and waited patiently while volunteers fetched them new shoes.
On that one day, Volk gave out more than 200 pairs of shoes.
Volk herself is a bit of a local celebrity. During her time at HHS, she starred in basketball, soccer, and softball and subsequently has been inducted into the high school’s athletic hall of fame.
Today Volk is a physical education teacher at The REACH School in Sebastopol. She started Shoes 4 Kidz after realizing that one of her students was wearing tattered shoes to gym class because he couldn’t afford new ones. She took a picture of that student’s old shoes and carries it with her wherever she goes.
Volk isn’t the only athletic powerhouse on the Shoes 4 Kids team; in the early days she teamed up with former Raiders and UCLA linebacker Jerry Robinson to get the program off the ground. Today Robinson serves as vice president of the board of directors. He’s active in day-to-day operations.
He and Volk also hit it off famously.
In recent weeks, the duo has doubled-down on activism, launching a podcast that — much like this column — spotlights good people doing great things in the community. The podcast, titled “People Doing Good,” debuted on the one-year anniversary of the wildfires and comprised interviews with honorees about their heroic efforts.
Volk says she sees the podcast as an extension of her efforts to build community, proof that soul and soles can make a difference.
“Between (Shoes 4 Kidz) and the podcast, we’re just trying to create positive messages,” Volk says. “We’re all inundated with so much negative news on a daily basis these days, it’s important to remember there’s still good in this world.”
Shoes 4 Kidz is a nonprofit and accepts donations of cash and lightly worn athletic shoes. For more information, visit shoes4kidz.com.
Matt Villano is a local writer. His column spotlights good people in the community who are doing great things. Learn more about him at whalehead.com.
