Special kids get special shoes

"Do we really get to keep these?"

Fifteen-year-old Cindy Day's question told the story of what happened Friday for the Special Olympics students of Valley High School.

As unbelievable as it was to Cindy and 16 other special Olympians, they each received a new pair of Nike track shoes, free. And they got to keep them.

It was part of a special grant that Valley High School teacher Debra Hodson and others arranged for the kids, using grant money from the Valley Help Fund. That fund, which helps kids in need, is privately funded, mostly through the donations of former Superintendent Joe Stockton, to help kids in Gilcrest, Platteville and La Salle.

"It was a surprise for the kids," said Hodson. "It was hard not to say anything when we got on the bus Friday morning and took off for Centerra. When we told them they would be getting free shoes, they were overjoyed."

In addition to the new shoes, the Special Olympians also did some shopping, went out to lunch and finished the day with a movie -- "Horton Hears a Who."

But the special event of the day was at Dick's Sporting Goods at Centerra Shopping Center, where the kids received their shoes.

The sporting goods store offered a special discount for the shoes, and 17 Special Olympians received the new Nike Lance Armstrong shoes. "They're gold and black, our school colors," said Hodson, "and all the profits from the shoes will go to fight cancer."

So the kids tried on the shoes, got special fittings for some who had birth defects on their feet, then clung to the boxes as they carried them to the school bus.

The Special Olympics project is part of Valley High School Alternative Cooperative Education program, also called ACE, which helps high school students who are at risk of dropping out, Hodson explained. "Each of the ACE students had to find a project, such as a charity to help. Last year they came to me and said they wanted to start a Special Olympics team at our school."

For that reason, each Special Olympian has a "coach," which is a member of the ACE group.

Next month, the ACE program at Valley will receive a state award -- the Lighthouse Leadership Award -- at the state ACE convention in Denver. In 2007, Hodson was named ACE Colorado Teacher of the Year.