Hawkinsville, GA family honors toddler's life with shoe drive | 13wmaz.com

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HAWKINSVILLE, Ga. — After their daughter Ellie died in 2020, the Keen family from Hawkinsville decided to honor her memory with a shoe drive that's going on its fifth year.

Shoes 4 Ellie was born in 2020 to remember 19-month-old Ellie Keen who died in her sleep at their home. Her mom, Krista Keen will always remember her daughter for the bright personality she had in those short months.

"She was her own little person. So she would you know, hide the shoes in the house, she would take her like the shoe strings out of her little Converse shoes that she were one of her favorite pair, and she would hide them in one place and I would have to find them throughout the house," Keen said.

Because of Ellie's love for shoes, dozens of businesses throughout central Georgia have fliers on their windows and donation boxes asking for donations for Shoes 4 Ellie. People can drop off new shoes and socks that go towards Foster Families of Middle Georgia, to help children in foster care have a new pair of shoes by Christmas.

Ellie had a twin brother Eli, and a big sister Lily. She loved playing with them, and loved playing with any shoes she could get her hands on.

"I've seen her put 'em on her hands, and then she'd try to get mine on. Like my heels, and everything. And so when she'd get 'em on, she'd have to like, do like a waddle," Keen said.

Her love of shoes never faded, and her mom said Ellie was even buried with her hot pink converse. It was that passion for shoes that inspired her family to start collecting shoes for other children.

"We figured we could give back in honor of her to foster kids cause you just, you never think about what that they go through when they're taken from the homes, they, they leave without anything sometimes," Keen said.

Right now, and through Nov. 14, businesses across multiple counties have collection boxes people can drop off shoes and socks at. And on Nov. 16, the family will host a big event at Woodlands Coffee Roasters & Cafe to collect even more items.

There will be face painting, a bouncy house, live music, bracelet making, a cookie decorating station, and free pictures with Santa with a shoe donation. There will also be a "shoe tree" for people to purchase a pair a shoes if they don't bring one with them.

"The first year we did it, we actually did it at the daycare Ellie went to. And we got right at I think 800 pairs of shoes and 600 hundred pairs of socks," Keen said.

And since then, they've collected thousands of shoes and socks for foster kids. Shoes 4 Ellie has grown many, many sizes since.

"I was hoping it would, just because we'd be able to help so many kids and then keep her alive in a way," Keen said.

Woodlands Coffee Roasters, Kathleen

1113 SR 96, Kathleen

Sweet P's, Perry

757 Jernigan St, Perry

Giles Realty, Perry

1803 Houston Lake Rd, Perry

Foundation Academy, Perry

2157 GA 127, Perry (Houston Lk Rd)

CPR: Cell Phone Repair

Warner Robins... 2945 Watson Blvd

Macon...1687 Bass Rd.

Dublin...1632 Veterans Blvd

Re-New, Perry

1131 Macon Rd, Perry

Advance Eye Care

1105 Morningside Dr, Perry

Hello Beautiful

1019 Jernigan St, Perry

Lilly Fields

340 Columbus Hwy, Hawkinsville

LKK Clicks & Pics Co.

103 Atlanta Rd, Ste C, Gray

VitaliTea Nutrition

73 Commerce St, Hawkinsville

Tangles Toes & Tans

1206 Georgia Ave. Ext, Perry

Vineville Internal Medicine

506 Osigian Blvd #4, W.R.

If anyone has any questions, they email [email protected]