Building Stronger Communities: Shoes and Clothes for Kids started out of a car trunk, gets big boost from the Cavs

It was the middle of spring, and Shoes and Clothes for Kids Executive Director Valerie McCormack just learned the organization’s development director was leaving after eight years with the nonprofit agency.
That news, coupled with a proposed shift in fundraising focus to individual donors rather than corporate sponsorships and events — a board member told her it would cause income to be down for two years — was a jolt to McCormack.
“We’ve never been down,” she says. “We’ve been sort of the same each year but we have never been down, and I’m not one who likes to be down. So it has been tough for me to agree to do this, but I did agree because if we are going to change the way we do our business, we are probably going to be down for a couple of years.”
The Cavs factor
Also this spring, the SC4K office received an urgent phone call from the Cleveland Cavaliers regarding the Watch Parties they were planning for the three road games of the NBA Finals.
They wanted to know if the agency would accept funding to support its cause? An answer was needed right away, because the Cavs wanted to donate half the proceeds from the Watch Parties to the agency — the Cleveland Food Bank would receive the other half. Fans paid $5 per ticket and all three games were sell outs — raising a total of $260,000.
While expecting a generous amount because the Cavs were already faithful donors (as were the Browns and the Indians), McCormack, who has been executive director for 14 years, was shocked when she later learned the amount.
“Boy, oh boy, did we get $130,000! It was like divine intervention,” she says. “I think in the history of the organization that is the most money we’ve ever received.
“It was more than one-seventh of our budget. Our budget is a little over $700,000 without the in-kind donations.”
The generosity has allowed SC4K to better navigate through what was predicted to be some tough years.
From humble beginnings
SC4K was started by businessman Morrie Sayre, who noticed children playing in the streets of Cleveland without shoes on their feet and decided to do something about it. He founded the organization 46 years ago as Shoes for Kids, distributing gently used shoes from the trunk of his car to needy Cleveland school children. The agency expanded its focus in 1998 to include clothes.
SC4K distributes its items through a network of 35 distribution partners throughout Greater Cleveland, assisting about 25,000 children every year.
The narrow focus is actually a benefit for the agency’s identity, McCormack says.
“People ask me what does the organization do and I say, ‘Shoes and clothes!’ It is that simple.
“We do one program. I write grants for one thing. I might change it around, but it is for one thing. As a result, 92 to 93 percent of donations go directly into our program.”
Volunteers are the lifeblood
The reason why such a high percentage of funds goes into the community is because there are only three paid employees, McCormack said. Volunteers do all the packing and distribution work.
A large part of her role as executive director is to coordinate almost 1,000 volunteers annually.
“We have groups that come to the warehouse and pack,” she says. “If we didn’t do that, I would have to hire at least three other people.”
The Cleveland Public Schools donate warehouse space to the organization to store shoes and clothing until distributions are made. The agency, through a network of wholesalers that sell children’s clothing at deep discounts, is able to purchase between $15 and $20 worth of new clothing for every $1 spent. Sometimes whole truckloads are purchased.
Many businesses and groups contribute volunteers to handle the packing chores.
McCormack acknowledges that volunteers want to help, and it is not difficult to obtain them once they hear of the mission.
She points out several factors about SC4K that contribute to its successful image:

  • Its longevity as a local charity.
  • More than 90 percent of donations go into programs and services.
  • A four-star rating from Charity Navigator.
  • A 20 out of 20 of the Better Business Bureau’s standards for charity accountability.

McCormack offers one more, very valid point: “We love working with people. That is the way you are able to do it with just three people on staff.”

How to reach: Shoes and Clothes for Kids, (216) 881-7463 or www.sc4k.org
SOCIAL MEDIA: To learn more, like its Facebook page www.facebook.com/ShoesAndClothesForKids and follow on Twitter @SC4K.
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