ORLANDO, Fla. – Ten-year-old Adeline Mueller is this week's Getting Results Award winner.
Adeline is using something many of us have in our closets to help the needy. She's started Operation Shared Shoes, collecting new and gently used shoes for the homeless and less fortunate.
The shoes will be given away at the He Got Up! homeless outreach event held April 9 at Camping World Stadium.
He Got Up offers everything from haircuts to assistance with government services at the all-day event. Last year nearly 10,000 people attended.
Adeline and her family were volunteering at the event last year when she noticed the shoes were one of the things people needed most. In fact, they ran out before the event was over.
This year she wanted to help.
"I asked my mom and principal if we could collect shoes and they said yes," she says, standing in her driveway surrounded by shoes of all shapes and sizes.
What started as an idea has become a family project. Adeline's initial goal was 500 pairs. That was reached weeks ago; today over 2,000 pairs are stored in their West Orange County garage.
When a new donation is collected, the driveway becomes a workshop. Adeline and her father, Chris Mueller, zip-tie pairs together so they don't get separated. Many have been collected as a school project but her softball team, Girl Scout troop and neighborhood have also pitched in.
"Today we picked up a big load of shoes from Lake Whitney Elementary. That's Adeline's school," Chris Mueller said as he fed a tie through the laces of a pair of men's dress shoes. "We sort them and then zip-tie them. It's a family effort."
Tim Johnson, senior pastor of Orlando World Outreach Center and founder of He Got Up!, said he's inspired by Adeline's Operation Shared Shoes project.
"This has been one of the most exciting things to come from He Got Up, quite honestly," Johnson said. "Who knew this would happen? I think we're all caught off guard by Addy's heart for those less fortunate."
Operation Shared Shoes will be collecting right up until the event.
If you would like to donate your new or gently used shoes email: operationsharedshoes@yahoo.com to schedule a pickup.