Harold Randall, a member of Child & Family’s hardworking team, recognized the chance to make a difference for kids in the group homes he serves. He spent seven years working with kids who constantly complimented him on his cool sneakers before founding Harry’s Happy Feet during last year’s holiday season. Wanting kids to feel good about having a better pair of shoes too, he and his girlfriend and a team of their friends worked to collect and clean hundreds of pairs of sneakers before delivering them to the children and teens in Child & Family’s group homes. Randall knows from personal experience how important it is to feel good about yourself and feel supported by adults because he himself was a Child & Family group home resident. He says, “I just want to help whoever is in a situation similar to mine.” When the kids he works with discover their shared group home experience he lets them know they can overcome their circumstances and build a future for themselves. He has since held additional shoe drives and with support from community businesses like Drupal Connect and Curl Up & Dye, along with a profile in the Newport Daily News, he hopes to have increased success this holiday season. “I’m committed to keeping Harry’s Happy Feet doing, I want to be consistent and do it at least once a year, and it’s just a good feeling.” Working toward a degree in marketing at both Salve Regina University and the Community College of Rhode Island, Randall would like to open a store of his own one day.
