Q & A with Graham Sherman, Owner of Soles4Souls

By Anna Belson, Morgan Butz, Raegan Cohn

HottyToddy Interns

Graham Sherman, a senior at Oxford High School and president of Soles4Souls, has recently launched a new drive, Who Walked the Halls of OSD?

The program collects new and used shoes to donate to global nonprofit organizations. This specific campaign is aimed at Oxford School District Alumni. We had the opportunity to talk to Graham more specifically about her drive and the inspiration behind it. 

We asked her a numerous amount of questions: 

What inspired you to create Who Walked the Halls of OSD? 

I was hoping to create something to bridge with the local community more. I wanted to connect the community to an international cause.

How have you seen your drive make a difference so far? What is the most rewarding part?

I haven’t really seen a huge difference since we just started, but I am hoping that it will highlight the good that the school district does. We also do a drive with the students, so it will promote that as well.

Roughly how many shoes have been donated so far?

Last year, we collected 315 pairs in the fall.

Is there a certain goal number of shoes that you have in mind?

I want to try to get 400 between both drives. Each member is required to donate 2 pairs of shoes in order to maintain their membership. I have reached out to alumni as well to donate.

What made you decide to target Oxford Alumni specifically? 

I really wanted to highlight the school. I wanted to make it broader, so we had the chance to collect more shoes. 

What other opportunities do you have planned for the future? 

We’re gonna have our regular drive on Oct. 16 with all the other schools in the district. We also have a shoe and clothing drive in the spring.

Have you had any personal growth as a result of the drive? How has the drive helped you as a student and a person? 

It has gotten me to think outside of the box in terms of how I can make it bigger and collect more shoes. I didn’t know much about the nonprofit before becoming president, so seeing the impact has made me realize it is much more than just shoes. 

From where you started with the drive, what are some major changes you’ve seen with the program since its start?

There is a lot more student involvement. Students all have to reach out to Alumni they know, which gets students more hands on.” 

With your future plans in mind, do you plan to appoint someone new to continue on with “who walked the halls of OSD”?

Yes, the vice president moves up to president. Our vice president will carry the title next year.

The shoes can be dropped off at or shipped to Central Elementary at 409 Washington Ave. Anyone who donates will then fill out a Google form with a picture of them and the shoes, along with 2-3 sentences about their experiences with the district and its impact on their lives.