Having a child who is diagnosed with cancer is life-changing for the whole family. It happens to 10 children every day in the UK. The journey for each child is fraught with challenges, highs and lows.
Here at Supershoes we work in collaboration with the charity CLIC Sargent, whose social workers refer children with a cancer diagnosis to us.
Our partnership with CLIC Sargent dates back to the early days of Supershoes and we now receive the majority of our referrals from them and work closely with their team of social workers.
The Converse trainers we customize are bought through Office, the High Street shoe retailer, who order and deliver our trainers for customising. Then from our team of nearly 200 Super Artists, we select the best artist for each referral, and then the magic begins. A plain pair of Converse trainers is transformed into a beautiful, personal work of art, a gift of a pair of shoes which has quite astonishing effects on the young person who receives them.
We know what receiving a pair of Supershoes can do for a child going through a horrible, tough time. It makes them smile, it’s a boost to their confidence, it reminds them who they are, above and beyond their treatment, it encourages them to get on their feet again, because who wouldn’t want to go and show off such a beautiful pair of shoes…?!
Supershoes aims to empower children with cancer at a time when they may otherwise feel completely powerless.
The Supershoes team are proud of their many achievements in the 3 years of It’s existence, but most of all that it is staffed entirely by volunteers. This means that every penny raised goes a long, long way.
Our outgoings are the cost of shoes, paint, postage and the renting of our small office. A pair of Supershoes costs £50 to create. That’s £5 from 10 people. It’s a realistic sum of money to raise, with a measurable outcome; rather than an amount to put into a giant pot. It’s what makes Supershoes stand out as a charity.
Now comes the really awesome news….
Here at Supershoes, we’re delighted to be sharing a very special event with you. Last weekend, Sarah White, founder of Supershoes, was thrilled to make a special delivery: our 1000th pair of Supershoes to a Super-special young man called Super Reo.
9-year-old Reo had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosed 2 years ago, and fought it once, only to relapse in 2014. He was referred to Supershoes by CLIC Sargent.
Paul Gathercole, Assistant Director of Services at CLIC Sargent, says:
Our CLIC Sargent Social Workers work with children like Reo and their families by providing emotional, financial and practical support that gets them through the hardest of times. When a young patient needs a boost, our team is able to refer them to the wonderful team at Supershoes. Over the years, these Supershoes have bought hundreds of smiles to the faces of the young people we support, and we’re so thrilled that Reo is the 1000th child to get a pair of fantastic footwear.
The brief for Reo’s Supershoes told us that the two most important things in his life are Leicester City FC and Minecraft. A special pair of Supershoes needed special treatment, of course. Supershoes’ service is always personal and how much more personal can you get for a Leicester City FC super-fan, than having their Supershoes signed by Jamie Vardy…?!
Super Artist (and Trustee) Lucas was more than happy to create the rest of the mini-masterpiece on Reo’s Supershoes.
Reo’s mum – who refers to him as her “little ginger biscuit” - has nothing but praise for his bravery as he continues with immunoglobulin treatment once a month in hospital. It’s a long time for a little boy to put his life on hold, and tough for his mum too, who also has 3 other children to care for.
Sarah made the trip to Leicester to meet Reo and his mum Sarah. Reo was very poorly when Sarah met him, but was happy to smile for the camera, and was thrilled to receive his very special Supershoes.
We’ll leave you to look at the photos to see exactly what a pair of Supershoes does for a child!
