WEST MONROE, La. (AP) - Hannah Hudnall grew up spending time at Crosley Elementary. She was a teacher’s kid who spent time in the gym and on the playground while her mother worked.
Kelly Hudnall, taught at Crosley Elementary for 12 years. She loved teaching kindergarten, and she loved her students. Her room was decorated with Pete the Cat.
Kelly died on Feb. 15, 2020 because of cancer.
Hannah wanted a way to honor her mom. On Feb. 24, she gave 66 new pairs of shoes to kindergarteners at Crosley.
“She loved teaching here. These kids were her heart. She loved it so much here, and she had the biggest heart for these kids,” Hannah said.
Kelly’s personality was loving and caring, Hannah said, and it showed through her interactions with students.
“She’d pack extra things in their backpacks whenever they would leave,” Hannah said. It was all about giving them as much as possible.
And the kids loved her back.
ANONYMOUS DONOR SPARKS IDEA FOR MORE GIVING
In October, children at Barkdull Faulk Elementary in Monroe got new shoes thanks to an anonymous donor who worked through Mayor Friday Ellis and Fleet Feet in Monroe.
Hannah is a full-time student at the University of Louisiana Monroe, and one of her three jobs is with Fleet Feet.
“Those kids just reminded me of Crosley and how much I loved Crosley and how much my mom loved Crosley,” Hannah said. “And just having a good pair of shoes is so important, especially for kids. The better a pair of shoes, the faster they can run.”
She said after the event, she thought she wanted to do the same at Crosley but kept it in the back of her mind until one day she knew she needed to do it now.
About two months ago, Hannah went to her boss, Fleet Feet owner Michael Fronsoe, and explained she wanted to do this with some of the funds her mother left her.
Hannah has worked for Fronsoe for two years.
“I kind of went through the process of her mom being sick and passing away, and she said what we did at Barkdull, I’d like to do at Crosley where my mom taught, and I just lost it,” he said, tearing up.
“I said, ‘Are you sure you want to do this because I know your mom would want you to, you know, set yourself up for the future, pay for school, whatever it is.‘”
She said no. She really wanted to take care of this.
Fronsoe said New Balance was generous, and Hannah handled this on her own. He also reached out to CommuniHealth Services, who had partnered on the previous giveaway. They provided masks for the children.
“This was all Hannah’s idea. I kind of helped her facilitate it, but this is all about her,” Fronsoe said.
“Magic machine” helps find right fit for growing feet
About a month ago, they went to the school with a 3-D scanner that helps determine the best size shoes for kids.
“That magic machine gave us y’all’s sizes,” Hannah told the children on Feb. 24.
Each child got shoes, socks, a mask and a copy of “Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes.”
Her boyfriend, Scott David, came for the shoe fitting and the giveaway. He was excited to see how the project came together and how happy it was making people.
“I had two tests this morning at ULM. Pretty sure I failed both of them, but I’m so happy right now,” he said.
When they fitted the kids for shoes, Scott said one little boy was worried his parents would be mad about having to unexpectedly pay for new one. He explained it was all free. He checked in with the same boy the morning, of Feb. 24 calling him by name.
Fronsoe said it’s important for children to have the right size of shoes because of bone and leg development, which is different for each person.
“Getting them the right size shoes means a lot just for development and letting them feel good about themselves when they’re active. If they can feel like their shoes are contributing to fitness and good health, it makes all the difference in the world,” he said. “It’s really important.”
They also worked to get the boys and girls in each class all the same styles as much as possible.
‘Just like Pete the Cat’
“Do y’all like Pete the Cat?” Hannah asked the room to a resounding chorus of yeses and yays. “I love Pete the Cat. So we’re going to be giving you this book ’I Love My White Shoes, so the reason we’re giving you this book is - so my mom actually taught in y’all’s classrooms a while back … and she loved Pete the Cat, so we’re going to be giving you a Pete the Cat book in honor of her.
“Just like Pete the Cat loved his white shoes, we’re going to hope that y’all love y’all’s shoes too.”
Hannah wanted to do the giveaway on Feb. 15, the anniversary of losing her mom. But that was President’s Day. Then Ouachita Parish Schools had a teacher training day with no students attending on Feb. 16, so it was set for Feb. 17.
Then back to back winter storms closed roads and schools across northeastern Louisiana for a week, pushing the event back even further.
Hannah was excited to finally get to share with the kids, and she hopes that seeing the joy that giving creates makes other people happy and inspires more joy - a ripple effect of love and kindness.
“I think she would be proud of that money going toward something that she would want,” Hannah said.
There are sad parts about it, but the whole project brings Hannah joy.
“I can already see them running around on that playground in their new shoes,” she said smiling and looking out the window.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.