Heart and Sole gives to children

Seeing a young boy at school wearing a pair of worn-out shoes, one without a sole and no socks, broke Cheryl Tillman's heart. She went to the store right after school and bought shoes and socks for him.

From that small beginning in the elementary school, Heart and Sole was born.

"I was watching children walking through the halls in shoes without good soles," she recalled. That prompted Tillman, para-professional aide, to talk to the school nurse at the time, Val Colburn, and together, they began Heart and Sole, a charitable organization to provide shoes and socks for students at Pea Ridge schools.

That first year, the two ladies, both mothers and grandmothers themselves, put shoes and socks on about 70 students. The next year, they went district wide serving students -- more than 100 -- from kindergarten to 12th grade.

This year, the Pea Ridge Optimist Club and Arvest Bank, Pea Ridge, have contributed so far, Tillman said. Donations may be given to any school or to Tillman at Pea Ridge High School or by contacting her at 479-381-0721.