NAHS student organizes shoe drive for WaterStep

Dec. 16—NEW ALBANY — Lydia Cosper, a sophomore at New Albany High School, is collecting shoes for a good cause.

On Dec. 4, she began a drive at NAHS to collect shoes for WaterStep, a Louisville-based nonprofit that donates water treatment systems for communities in need.

As Cosper organized the drive at her own school, NAHS postsecondary counselor Eddie Bobbitt worked with Floyd Central High School to start a friendly competition as both schools collect shoes for WaterStep.

Teacher Stephanie Loan is organizing the drive at Floyd Central. WaterStep boxes are located at both schools for people to drop off their shoes.

The drive will run through Tuesday at NAHS. So far, the school has collected hundreds of shoes, far exceeding Cosper's goal of collecting 300 pairs. She estimates that NAHS has collected 600 to 800 pairs so far.

Cosper has been pleasantly surprised to see such a huge response.

"I was like, I don't know if we're going to get a lot of shoes," she said. "But then we did because I think once we started bringing them in after school and on the weekend, that's when things really picked up, and that's when parents got involved. They were having their kids go through their closets with them."

She serves on the teen board of WaterStep and her father is a volunteer with the organization.

"I just wanted to do something to keep me busy that I could see helping the world," Cosper said.

Bobbitt said Cosper has done an "outstanding job" of spreading enthusiasm among the students and teachers about the WaterStep drive.

"I think it's outstanding anytime you have someone like Lydia who is focused on improving the lives of others during a season of giving back and whatnot — it's really inspiring to see," he said.

Cosper has informed the school community about the drive in multiple ways, including making posters and coordinating social media posts. Her involvement with WNAS, the school radio, has also helped spread the word.

"I made infographics about it for each school," she said. "I got them on all the Instagram pages. We have [the principal] say on the morning announcements, bring in your shoes. Emails have been sent out to parents, to students and everything. It's being read live on air every now and again at WNAS, so anything we can do to get the word out we've done."

The nonprofit gathers new and gently used shoes, which are later sold.

The proceeds from the shoe sales help WaterStep fund its mission of providing clean water. The nonprofit works in communities across the world to complete water purification projects and create water treatment systems.

"Their mission is so tangible — like you can see it in work," Cosper said. "You're not just giving money to some impossible mission. You're giving your shoes, and the shoes go out, they are refurbished, they are sold to an exporter, and the exporter sells them to places around the world to boost their economy and have something to sell and keep these out of the garbage."

Bobbitt said the general public is also welcome to donate shoes. At NAHS, people can bring shoes to Door 1, and he will collect the donations.

Go to waterstep.org to learn more about WaterStep and ways to donate.