You never know what you have until it’s gone. This saying holds very true for NNHS junior Allison Grady, but instead of letting it bring her down, it inspired her to make a worldwide impact.

Grady injured her hip during  track season in April of her sophomore year while practicing the 300-meter hurdles. She has since been unable to practice and compete in events. Her recovery was postponed as she waited for a cartilage donor so she could undergo surgery. This hiatus helped to put things into perspective for Grady.

“My injury made me realize how fortunate I am to be able to run when I was healthy,” said Grady. “I realized how lucky I am to be living the life that I have.”

She decided to use her break from running in a positive way and started a District 203-wide shoe drive. She advertised her drive through the 14 elementary schools in the district and made it a competition. The school that collected the most shoes received a golden shoe trophy to commemorate their success.

The drive contributed its donations to Share Your Soles, a non-for-profit charity based in Pullman, Illinois. Share Your Soles collects new and gently worn shoes and donates them to countless people in need. Their services reach everyone from midwestern towns such as Flint, Michigan  to remote locations in Africa.

The organization has been helping children and adults in need for over 16 years, and Grady thought it was the perfect charity to support.

“I liked how it was based in Chicago so it was pretty local,” Grady explained. “Also, it’s an organization that Naperville Running Company uses, so if people wanted to donate shoes after my drive was over, they could through [Naperville Running Company].”

Grady started collecting shoes in August and announced the grand total of 2,700 shoes donated at District 203’s annual elementary school race, the Crosstown Classic, hosted by Mill Street Elementary School.

Grady thought the drive was very successful.

“I am so incredibly thankful for all the support I received,” she said. “I knew that I was going to get some support, but I would have never imagined that I would collect that many shoes!”

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story implied the charity raised cash when in fact the event collected shoes.