Jeanne Nealon, a 1981 graduate of Notre Dame College, met a College Board of Trustee member on a pier in Naples, Fla., and now she has shared how her Notre Dame education inspired her to give back in her home schools and communities.
That trustee and the Notre Dame Abrahamic Center invited Nealon to share her story with the College and greater Cleveland communities as part of the center’s fall 2022 Centennial “Make a Difference” series.
Nealon is a middle-school teacher in Collier County in Southwest Florida who has created a “Laces of Love” initiative to provide new shoes to needy children, According to Nealon, more than 60 percent of youth in Collier and adjacent Lee County are designated “economically needy.”
“Many years ago, when I was a young teacher, I drove a student home after a school performance only to discover he lived in a migrant camp. He and his siblings shared shoes. This experience would change my life forever,” Nealon stated.
This poverty the alumna observed contrasts with the wealth in the main cities of Naples and Fort Myers, respectively, in these counties. Naples is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States, with among the highest per capita incomes and proportion of millionaires in the US. Lee County, with its many historical estates, also serves as the summer homes for multiple Major League Baseball teams.
“Realizing kids were sharing shoes in our community, we took action. We started to collect new shoes and deliver them to needy kids at local schools,” she added.
With her sister Mary Myrmo, Nealon has grown the Laces of Love Charitable Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides new shoes, usually sneakers, to low-income and disadvantaged children in Collier and Lee counties. With the assistance of volunteers and supporters, shoe drives and shoe parties, as well as speaking engagements like Nealon’s presentation to Notre Dame, the foundation has provided more than 200,000 children with new shows since its incorporation in 2005.
Nealon is allowing Notre Dame and the city of South Euclid to collect sneakers for Northeast Ohio children and schools in need for this one drive only. Members of the College and greater community who would like to donate a pair of new shoes to the organization can place them in the Laces of Love containers in these four locations: Notre Dame Administration Building Room 135; Regina Hall second floor, Office of Professional Development; campus Keller Center; and South Euclid Community Center, 1370 Victory Drive
The drive continues until December 15.
Laces of Love needs all sizes of sneakers. The group serves students from 1 to 18 years old. The shoes are distributed through public schools and social service organizations in southwest Florida.
Monetary donations also are accepted, with 100 percent used to toward purchase new shoes, unless otherwise specified by the donors. A $25.00 donation will buy one pair of new sneakers for one child, while $100 will provide new shoes for four to six children.
Laces of Love also facilitates the donation of cleats and sport shoes to student athletes in need, who, without proper shoes, would not be able to play their sport.
Nealon has been named the Teacher of the Year in Florida and has been honored by the American Association of University Woman. She also has written a book, titled Laces of Love, to share her experiences. Additional information is available and donations may be made online at LacesOfLove.org.
October 2022
About Notre Dame College
Notre Dame College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts college in South Euclid, Ohio, committed to teaching students how to make a good living and live a good life. Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1922, the College offers bachelor’s degrees in 30 disciplines plus a variety of master’s degrees, certification programs and continuing and professional development programs for adult learners on campus and online. For more information, visit NotreDameCollege.edu.