Stepping Up: Matthew Santos '17 Leads Shoe Drive For Filipino Children

Teresa Messmore, Director of Communications and Marketing
This article appeared in the 2016 Fall issue of the Tower Hill Bulletin

When Matthew Santos ‘17 traveled to the Philippines, his parents’ native country that he visits each year, he saw that many people there wear worn shoes—an observation made, perhaps, because he goes through a lot of shoes himself. He’s a runner. 

“I run year-round for cross country and track, and I noticed a lot of times people change their shoes often at Tower Hill and leave their old pairs sitting in a closet,” he said. “Whenever I go to the Philippines, I often see people with bad shoes, so I just connected the two.”

He decided to organize a shoe drive for underprivileged Filipino children, encouraging his classmates to support the cause at an Upper School assembly and collecting nearly 200 pairs from Tower Hill students and faculty. 

After shipping the donations to his uncle in Davao, who owns a farm near a school that serves students from low-income families and orphans, Santos delivered the shoes in person to Biao Guianga Elementary School. There he was greeted with a special two-hour assembly in his honor that featured singing and dancing by grateful children. 

“It was really exciting, and everyone there was really excited,” he said. “Just seeing the smiles on their faces for getting old shoes was amazing.” 

Santos was recognized by Head of Upper School Dan Hickey for his efforts, and he spearheaded a second collection last spring —this time also gathering used tennis balls, racquets and other sporting equipment. He will return to the school this winter break to once again deliver the donations. 

An early participant in Tower Hill’s new Global Scholar Certificate Program, Santos understands Filipino, takes Spanish classes and is considering studying economics in college. He is starting a new club this fall, Tower Hill for the World, that will explore other international service projects beyond the Philippines. 

“I want to open it up to other countries around the world,” he said.
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