Mercy Home’s young men and women got a very special surprise this Christmas: brand new shoes!

Jonathon Dues and our friends in the SwishHouse community raised money to purchase 60 pairs of shoes for our kids from the 360 Soles company, run by Tyrone Jordan. On Christmas Eve, Tyrone and Jonathon stopped by our Home to deliver the shoes.

When the kids received their shoes, the excitement was palpable. Speh Home therapist Eric Anthony said that many of the young men had been discussing the possibility of using money they received for Christmas to purchase new basketball shoes, so this was especially thrilling to receive just in time for the holiday!

“The boys were appreciative that they were also not only their favorite brands, but some were signature shoes of players they follow in the NBA!” Eric said.

Our older boys were thrilled to receive their new shoes, and eager to try them on and show them off.

“Yousef loved the color of his shoes, and found them to be unique like himself,” Kelly Home Program Manager Maisha Lowery said.

The boys noted that they found the shoes comfortable and stylish, and Deandre said that he couldn’t wait for COVID-19 restrictions to lift so that he could put some miles on his new pair!

Our young women were equally excited to receive the brand new shoes. Gewanda Monroe, the program manager of Couderc Home, said that a couple of the girls had not had new shoes in years before coming to Mercy Home, which made this surprise extra special to them.

“[Before coming to Mercy Home], one girl was wearing shoes two sizes too small because that was all that was available to her,” Gewanda explained.

Angie Hicks, the program manager of Walgreen Home, said that the girls eyes lit up and they began to smile with excitement when they brought the shoes to be handed out.

Now outfitted with shiny new shoes that fit properly, our girls were eager to plan outfits to wear to complement them.

“They were very grateful, because the shoes were a different style and color than they normally would pick out,” Angie said.

This special gift truly helped make the holidays magical for all of our young people.

We are incredibly grateful to our dear friends at SwishHouse for making this incredibly generous donation possible. True to the mission of SwishHouse, who has been partnering for years with Mercy Home to run the Hoops to Homework program, the Chicago basketball community really stepped up to bring some joy and sweet kicks to our kids this holiday season. Thank you!