- Shoes that were ready to be donated to kids in Woodville were stolen.
- They were stolen from the Charlie & Tonja Ward Family Foundation outside Dick's Sporting Goods.
- Watch the video to hear a full breakdown of the theft and the Foundation's message to the thief.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Pairs of shoes that could have made a huge difference to young athletes in Woodville have gone missing.
Tonja Ward, Charlie and Tonja Ward Family Foundation - “It’s like a critical time where kids really do need these cleats.”
Shoes that were going to be donated to kids in need ahead of their first game.
I’m Kenya Cardonne, your Southeast Tallahassee neighborhood reporter, digging into how it happened and what this means for the families who were stripped of the blessings of this charitable cause.
Jay Terry, Vice President of Ward Family Foundation - “Opened the door, pushed them across..”
Jay Terry re-enacting the moments that led up to a terrible crime — the theft of shoes ready to be donated.
Ward - “The labels on them with names and stuff..”
Terry is a board member with the Charlie and Tonja Ward Family Foundation.
Back in July, we told you about their annual multi-sport shoe drive — an initiative that has raised money and collected more than 300 pairs of athletic shoes for young athletes with Big Bend Pop Warner this year.
Tuesday, Terry and Tonja Ward visited the Dick’s Sporting Goods in Southeast Tallahassee to exchange sizes of a few pairs before they would be delivered to the Woodville Jaguars that night.
Charlie and Tonja Ward, Charlie and Tonja Ward Family Foundation - “This was the most exciting part of the Drive because it’s when we get to actually deliver the shoes to the kids and several of our board members are hands-on-deck in taking the shoes to practice and the kids are excited.”
But in that process, two boxes of shoes already labeled and ready to go were put in Terry’s backseat.
Terry - “Whoever saw me putting those shoes in the vehicle, very likely was able to go into the other side and take the shoes out.”
Ward - “We want to reward the kids and the parents who are really trying to keep their kids busy and out of trouble and doing sports which that’s what sports does. But when something like this happens, it’s just really unfortunate.”
I checked in with nearby businesses to see if any security cameras might have caught the person who did this, but to no avail.
After filing a police report with Tallahassee Police Department, the Foundation ordered replacement shoes.
Terry - “You want to play well because you look good. You want to look good because you play well.”
A boost of confidence and extra safety that the Jaguars might not get in time for their season opener.
Terry - “And an extra expense that we were hoping to kind of eliminate.”
Ward - “It could be discouraging but it only fuels our passion for wanting to help the kids and make sure that they do have good cleats for the season.”
The Foundation is hoping the shoes will be returned.
Ward - “These were kids in Woodville, they practice on Tuesdays-Thursdays, so if the shoes can show back up for the kids, that would be a beautiful thing.”
The team of Woodville kids are expected to play their first game on Saturday, September 7th.
In Southeast Tallahassee, Kenya Cardonne ABC 27
