Kaila Pedersen: Bringing Heart and Sole to the Rye Derby
Kaila Pedersen puts heart and soul into everything she does. As an enterprising 11th grade student at Rye Neck High School
, Kaila is a firm believer in stepping in when and where help is needed. So when she met Kimmie Weeks, founder of Youth Action International (YAI), she stepped forward to ask what Westchester kids could contribute to children in post-war Liberia. He answered with one simple word, “Sneakers!”
In response, Kaila formed Kids with Sole, a community-based intergenerational project that works with both young people and adults to collect 10,000 pairs of sneakers for impoverished Liberian children. Kaila explains, “Sneakers are important sanitation barriers that stop the spread of disease, prevent injuries and provide structural support for growing children. We are doing great in our campaign, but we still need more sneakers - any style of gently worn or new sneakers in any size. Every pair counts,” she adds.
Since its formation in September 2008, Kaila and the 30 active members of Kids with Sole have set a goal of filling an entire car with boxes of donated sneakers by the end of the day. To date, Kaila and her team have collected over 1,000 pairs of sneakers and in a logical tie-in, will have a booth at the Rye Derby on Sunday, April 26th to collect even more. “As you prepare for a fun-filled time at the YMCA’s Rye Derby,” says Kaila, “don’t forget to grab unused sneakers from your closet. They can make such a huge difference in a child’s life.” Spoken like a true sole mate.
