Getting bullied in school is something that most of us have been victims of. Kids can unknowingly be very mean and can throw snarky comments about other’s appearances and belittle them for either the kind of lunch box they carried or if they got lesser marks in a test. Same was the case for Kyler Nipper who once got bullied way too hard for wearing worn-out shoes.
According to sources, a then 11-year-old Kyler was suffering from Idiopathic Toe Walking which forced him to walk on his toes because he couldn’t put his heels to the ground. As a result, even his new shoes would wear out and crack pretty fast. One day on his way to class, some kids started bullying him and one of the boys stabbed him multiple times in the chest and shoulder with a sharp pencil, puncturing his lung.
Even though the boy who stabbed him got arrested, Kyler was hospitalised to treat his injuries and was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the incident.
In retrospect, Tyler realised how shoes were a sign of societal standard in his school. Those who used to wear expensive ones looked down upon those who wore cheaper pairs of shoes. He realised that there must be other kids who are victims of everyday bullying because they cannot afford good shoes.
So he started a donation called ‘Kyler’s Kicks’ and put a box outside his family’s apartment with the sign “Please donate shoes for those in need”. Over the next few months, a lot of people donated their shoes which were then distributed by Kyler around low-income neighbourhoods.
There was even a time when Kyler and his family became homeless because they couldn’t afford the rent and had to shift to a low-income neighbourhood themselves. However, their financial condition didn’t affect Kyler’s donation initiative.
Kyler has collected and given out more than 25,000 pairs of shoes ever since, mostly to at-risk children, teenagers, and homeless people living in Las Vegas. So much so that Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ Foundation and others have partnered with him to donate shoes!
Now a 14-year-old Kyler says that the initiative makes him feel amazing and helps him fight PTSD.
Take a bow Kyler's Kicks team! We just made this awesome young man's day with brand new shoes. This makes 21,456 pairs of shoes given away since the day that I was stabbed! My goal was 20,000 by the end of this year. We are smashing that goal and the year has only begun! Thanks!! pic.twitter.com/G9SJG9ggbU
— kylers kicks (@kylers_kicks) May 10, 2019
He went on to share how one time he was walking down the street and saw a barefooted homeless man. He figured that the man had the same foot size as him, so he slid off his own shoes and gave them to him. The homeless man walked away looking so happy! This is what keeps him going.
The world is such a better place with kind-hearted kids who want to do society some good in their own little way!