Over 500 Students Receive New Shoes and More Through NNSS and Goodie Two Shoes Partnership
In a heartwarming display of community support, Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS) volunteers recently participated in an event that provided 538 middle school students in the Clark County School District with new shoes, socks, and dental kits. This initiative, held on November 22, was part of the NNSS’s ongoing collaboration with the Goodie Two Shoes Foundation.
Established in 2003, the Goodie Two Shoes Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to offering essential items such as shoes and socks to disadvantaged children and those in crisis. The NNSS’s involvement included funding these necessary items and ensuring each student received a pair of shoes that fit perfectly.
Erick Diaz, the NNSS Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research (JASPER) Manager, was among the volunteers on November 22. Diaz shares a personal connection to the program, having benefited from it himself as a child. The new shoe program, initiated by Nikki and Tony Berti, a former NFL player with the San Diego Chargers, began in 1989 and made a significant impact on Diaz’s early years.
“I was in first grade, and at the time my family was being supported by my father’s single income as a first-class petty officer in the Navy,” Diaz recalled. “Being as young as I was, I wasn’t fully aware of the economic realities surrounding me, but I do have a very clear memory of excitedly walking back to class wearing a brand-new pair of Ninja Turtles-themed sneakers. I think the impact for both families and students of community outreach programs like Goodie Two Shoes can be greater than the immediate benefits of material gain and economic relief.”
Diaz further emphasized the broader significance of such initiatives, noting, “Knowing that a broader community around you care enough to provide you with assistance can instill a sense of trust and ownership. The lessons of compassion and communal support might take a few years to set in with younger recipients, but I think it sets a promising precedent for them as responsible and engaged citizens as they become adults.”
The NNSS’s collaboration with Goodie Two Shoes is part of a broader effort by the NNSS Outreach & Engagement team, which is heavily involved in advocacy, community support, educational programming, and volunteerism.
“I think one of the major benefits of corporate philanthropy, beyond materially giving back to the communities that support us, is presenting diverse and realistic models of success to developing minds,” Diaz added. “From my own personal experience growing up in a working-class family, I at times lacked a clear picture of what it would be like to work in STEM or indeed any sort of corporate environment. For some of the kids receiving shoes and socks, they might also be receiving their first clear images of what success can look like.”
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