New shoes, hope: Carolina Crown supports Rock Hill band students

Thanks to a pair of black shoes, Rock Hill students have a renewed sense of belonging.

Members of the Crown Cares shoe distribution program, a local agency affiliated with Carolina Crown Drum Corps, donated shoes to 25 Castle Heights Middle School band students Thursday. Their mission is to empower young people with shoes, socks and hope, said Jim Williams, Carolina Crown board member.

Crown Cares members met with each student as they handed them the shoes.

“You guys have such a bright future, we just want to be a part of encouraging you guys along the way,” Williams told the group.

Castle Heights band director Jermaine Evans said the students were grateful.

“They are a great bunch of kids,” he said. “This helps them to feel more a part of the group by being able to have the entire uniform.”

Based in Fort Mill, Carolina Crown is a world champion performance ensemble of 150 musicians. Crown Cares was created last year.

The shoe giveaway is similar to the Samaritan’s Feet program, which prepares students’ feet to receive black socks and shoes.

In July, Crown Cares partnered with Samaritan’s Feet and Director’s Showcase International, a distributor of marching band accessories, to deliver shoes, socks and hope to more than 1,000 children in Winston-Salem, N.C., during its annual NightBEAT event.

“We’re marching with a mission,” said board member Antonio Boyd. “In the cities we host shows, we always try to support kids in the local community.”

Evans reached out to the ministry to help band members who cannot afford proper shoes.

“It’s wonderful to see this act of giving, especially this time of year,” he said. “Once you experience it, it elicits in you an act of giving as well.”

Boyd said the students were having to paint their gym shoes black to match their peers, something Carolina Crown’s donation is going to change.

“These guys are meeting a huge need today,” he said.

Amanda Harris: 803-329-4082

This story was originally published December 9, 2016 at 7:52 AM with the headline "New shoes, hope: Carolina Crown supports Rock Hill band students."