A few years back, physical education teacher Kaleo Renstrom of Juniper Elementary School in Bend would give tallies to her mom, Kaleo Schroder, of the running shoes she needed for her students.

Schroder, a former PE teacher, and friends would then scope out garage sales around Klamath Falls homes to see what they could come up with.

Most often, they would have to look for shoes at the beginning of the school year and in the spring, when Renstrom would notice some of her students had worn-down shoes or were still wearing snow boots into the warmer months.

Today, Renstrom still needs shoes for some of her students, but she gets them donated from a different source: the Central Oregon Running Klub.

Chatting in eager anticipation at a lone lunch table in the gym at Juniper, most of the teachers involved in this year’s donation gathered Wednesday afternoon to sort through the 114 pairs of shoes.

Dragging the boxes to the middle of the gym floor, the teachers, themselves like kids on Christmas morning, excitedly got on their hands and knees to turn over the boxes and divvy up the Crayola-colored assortment of athletic shoes.

Even though some of the shoes were originally marked for as much as $29.99, on average each pair cost $12 with a discount from the South 97 Highway Payless ShoeSource.

Laura Schob, a substitute teacher at Juniper, was the one who made the connection between the PE teachers and the CORK donation. After she caught word of the problem six years ago, she turned to her husband, Andy, secretary of CORK.

For years, the club had held Christmas grab-bag parties for its members where everyone contributed an item. But hearing that kids needed shoes, especially when it involved running, prompted them decide to pool their funds for a donation.

Since then the project has only grown, and club members, along with the board, donate money to the cause.

This year, the program has expanded from Juniper to provide shoes for five additional elementary Bend-La Pine Schools: Ponderosa, Elk Meadow, La Pine, Bear Creek and Lava Ridge.

“Sometimes (the parents) just haven’t had the paycheck yet,” said Renstrom, explaining the reasons for kids needing the shoes.

“Anything to promote running,” said Andy Schob. “We see if kids don’t participate in PE it’s hard for them to be physically active later as adults.”

Each year Renstrom hands the shoes out as needed, using the stage located in Juniper’s gym as a makeshift shoe fitting area, where she has become somewhat of an expert.

“I replace them when I see a blowout,” explained Renstrom, referring to the condition of the children’s torn-up shoes. Sometimes a growing toe starts to poke through the surface, whereas other times the shoes are too worn down for the kids to stay active.

“I just squeeze the toe to see where there foot ends, just like at the shoe store,” said Renstrom. “It’s all about safety. With good shoes it’s a lot safer.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0325,

kfisicaro@bendbulletin.com