SANDY, Utah — Over 340 students from Copperview Elementary School received a new pair of shoes during a field trip to support children in need during the holiday season.
Students at the American First Field also ate lunch and toured the stadium to meet both Real Salt Lake players and mascots alike.
According to American First Credit Union Public Relations Director Dave Nellis, it's part of the annual "Warm The Souls" program which has continued for 29 years.
"We're able to purchase shoes for kids who are maybe economically disadvantaged who wouldn't have the opportunity to have a pair of shoes for the holidays," he said. "Last year, we gave out over 2,800 pairs of shoes this year, our goal is 3,300 pairs of shoes."
The America First Charitable Foundation partnered with RSL and the Utah Royals Foundation to make sure the students have new shoes that fit, meet their favorite mascots and even take a picture with Santa Claus after lunch.
"It's a lot of fun to be able to see these kids smile and kind of make their dreams come true," said Nellis. "This is our twenty-ninth year of doing the Warm The Souls for kids and this is the first year that we brought RSL in with this partnership to make this magic happen. We're delighted to have their organization join us."
For Real Salt Lake President John Kimball, helping students in need is part of what he believes the holiday season is all about.
"I had the chance to sit with little kids and take their shoes off and put brand new shoes on and see their smiles. There were kids saying that their shoes didn't fit before, and now they have shoes that are perfect instead of being either too big or too small," he said. "You can just see the joy of the opportunity to give somebody something that they're really excited about."
