Police Foundations Student Stepping up for Kids in Need

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Making change happens one step at a time. To take that step, you need a good pair of shoes, and that’s where William Bourgault comes in.

Last summer, Bourgault, a 21-year-old Police Foundations student was looking to donate shoes he had outgrown. He knew of Dress for Success and The Snowsuit Fund but realized there wasn’t a place where you could donate shoes. Footwear 4 Kids was born.

Today, Footwear 4 Kids operates out of space provided by the Caldwell Family Centre. They have 13 volunteers, four family support workers, and one family advisor. The program is run and managed by Bourgault. Four of the volunteers are students from the Police Foundation program at Algonquin College. They provide footwear to children, youth, and families in need including newcomers to Canada, those fleeing domestic violence/abuse, those experiencing homelessness, and those facing unforeseen circumstances such as job loss, house fire, etc. 

The program is easy for clients to navigate. “If you are in need of footwear, you apply to our website,” said Bourgault. “A typical client in need would be referred but our clients can apply directly to us. Clients are in true need,” he said. “Sometimes they can’t get to a social worker but they are in need, either as a newcomer to Canada, or fleeing violence.”

After receiving a website or phone request, clients receive a call from a family support worker who will start the process of getting them footwear and arranging a delivery.

Bourgault said the time between the first call or email until shoes are delivered may take a week or a week and a half at most.

Bourgault is serving a vulnerable population. “Many of our clients are newcomers to Canada and have big families or we have homeless people in a shelter who use a computer on-site and then we have to track them down. Overall, we always find a way. I’m going to send someone to find them or go myself.”

Footwear 4 Kids volunteers have two main goals; to pick up donations, which includes sorting and packaging and then delivering them to families. “Wherever a client is located in the City, we will deliver,” said Bourgault.

Since he began collecting footwear last August, Bourgault has collected 1500 pairs or shoes and helped approximately 400 individuals.

While footwear donation and distribution is the primary focus, when interacting with clients, other needs arise and Bourgault and his team try to help in a variety of ways, with support from the staff at the Caldwell Family Centre.

“It’s a collaborative relationship,” said Marilyn Matheson, executive director of the Caldwell Family Centre, who services include a clothing assistance program and clothing depot. “It wasn’t until William came along that it gave a boost to that program. We are able to fill more requests and referrals than ever before. “

Matheson said her centre had primarily focused on feeding people but since Bourgault came on board, they are able to expand their services through Footwear 4 Kids. “His team is able to do outreach and ask what other families might require. If volunteers have a sense that clients also need food, we provide that to his volunteers who can also deliver food.” She adds “A lot of times, when people need winter boots, they also need a snowsuit. Since a lot of our clients are newcomers to Canada, they may not have a snowsuit.”

The Footwear 4 Kids volunteers are on the front lines of seeing and responding to community need. “We feed people weekly,” said Matheson. “A lot of the time it’s William’s volunteers that are delivering the food.”

She said the partnership is a good thing. “It’s a very worthwhile collaboration because he can co-ordinate his volunteers to do things that we don’t have enough volunteers to do.” She hopes to do more with Footwear 4 Kids including finding funding to provide his volunteers gas money for deliveries.

How you can help – Footwear 4 Kids collects shoes, especially sneakers for kids and youth. They accept donations of new or gently used shoes and will pick them up from your home. They are also looking for volunteers to collect and distribute shoes. Learn more at https://www.footwear4k.com, and follow them on Instagram or Facebook.