National average says it takes eleven attempts for someone to leave a violent relationship, and sometimes they leave with just the clothes on their backs. Helping to ease this transition, First Day Shoe Fund installed its first shoe closet at the YWCA domestic violence shelter. First Day Shoe Fund is a local nonprofit that provides students in Kalamazoo County with shoes. “Many times, families have to leave with no items, so when they come here to the Y, we’re going to have beautiful shoes to send them to school with,” Sherry Brockway, Director of Emergency Response Services at YWCA Kalamazoo said. YWCA Kalamazoo always maintains 100 percent full capacity, with an average of 15 families in the shelter. “The last few years we’ve been concentrating on how to support the most underserved children,” Maggie Hesketh, Executive Director of First Day Shoe Fund said. Hesketh describes “underserved” as children experiencing homelessness, refugee families, and children with disabilities. “We always provide [shoes] through the schools, and we’ve worked out there are some caregivers and children that aren’t able to access that program. We’re putting in our first permanent closet so as children come into the shelter, they can get new shoes,” Hesketh said. “The YWCA is dealing with those families in the most urgent situations.” The idea for the closet started last August when the Shoe Fund came to the shelter to fit kids for shoes. “It helps maintain a sense of normalcy for kids and gives them something exciting to look forward to and helps them continue to go to school,” Brockway said. “That’s why it’s critical to be able to partner with Firat Day Shoe Fund, so that we can give kids shoes to wear to school and they’re really cute.” Brockway said this kind of community support is a major factor in helping an individual to leave a violent relationship. First Day Shoe Fund initially gave out shoes for the first day of school in the fall, but this year will also give out shoes to kids in the spring. Over the last 20 years, it’s given out 80,000 pairs of shoes. “Shoes are such a positive influence on children, they’re important for walking comfort but they’re also really important for them identifying how they look,” Hesketh said. First Day Shoe Fund only buys brand name shoes kids will recognize. “They’re always so excited and the red ones apparently make you run the fastest,” Hesketh joked. The shoe closet at the shelter holds 110 pairs of shoes, every size from toddler’s 7 to men’s and women’s 10. The nonprofit will replenish it as needed. “The YWCA is such a well-respected organization, we just thought it was a great place to partner for this closet,” Hesketh said. “We are excited to have shoes out in the community that somebody else can access when they need them.”