Jake Rosenblum may only be in 11th grade, but he already has a lot of leadership experience under his belt. The 16-year-old is the Student Body President at Massapequa High School, a member of the National Junior Honor Society, Peer AIDS Club, Model UN Club, and sits on the Shared Decisions committee. With such a busy schedule, it seems impossible that Rosenblum would have time to do anything else, let alone establish a non-profit organization; until Sole Survivors hit the ground running.
“Sole Survivors is a non-profit organization that started in March of last year,” said Rosenblum. “I saw a lot of shoes in my closet and I didn’t have any place to give them to,” said Rosenblum, who realized that a lot of his friends had the same problem. That’s when he came up with the idea to use his shoes for a good cause.
“I wanted to find a way to give back to the community, so I came up with the idea for ‘Sole Survivors’ along with my parents,” he said. “We created a box that I put in the high school for gently used sneakers.”
Rosenblum hand delivers the shoe collection to the director of the National Coalition for the Homeless in Amityville.
“Her reaction to just being able to have all of the shoes for people who need them is priceless,” he said. “I am also fortunate enough to have things like food, shelter and clothing, and they don’t, so knowing that I’m giving back to community this way makes me feel really good.”
Rosenblum sketched the design for the box himself; a chain link fence with a basketball hoop at the top, and a hole where people can drop their shoes in.
“I went to our student council advisor and got approved,” said Rosenblum, who with the help of the student council, made announcements on the loud speaker and hung posters around the school.
As soon as the box gets full, Rosenblum and his mom pick up the shoes and take them to a local laundromat, where they get washed and dried before being donated to the Coalition for the Homeless.
Since last March, Rosenblum has collected over 300 pairs of shoes for Sole Survivors. There is a Facebook page called “Sole Survivors” where people can go on and learn about the cause and where they can make a donation. Rosenblum also garners attention for his organization through school and with the help of his family and friends.
“Sometimes my grandma comes with shoes for the box, and the families that have received the shoes spread the word as well,” he said.
Soon, Rosenblum plans on going to local shoe stores and asking if they would be interested in participating; widening the program and the people it reaches.
As for his future, Rosenblum has set his sights high.
“My plan is to get an MBA from my dream school; The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. I am very interested in business and political science,” he said.
While he would love to do more for charity in the future, right now Rosenblum’s main focus is on expanding Sole Survivors and getting local stores involved.
“I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has helped me make Sole Survivors such a success; so thank you all.”
