Latest news with #LaurenSkidmore
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shoes for the homeless, year 33: Guarantee Shoes rustles up 8,000 pairs for the needy
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – If you're like most people, you've got too many shoes – colors, fits, and styles that just don't work for you anymore. If you're a typical resident of one of Bakersfield's homeless centers, you very likely don't have enough decent shoes. Maybe none at all. The solution would seem obvious enough. It did for Rosco Rolnick, 33 years ago. That's when the third generation owner of Guarantee Shoe Center launched his Shoes for Our Homeless Shoe Drive. In a third of a century, the downtown Bakersfield institution has collected 120,000 new and used shoes, coordinating with the Open Door Network to distribute footwear to the unhoused and victims of domestic violence. In 2025, the effort collected 8,000 pairs of shoes. Bail granted to driver in fatal Westside Parkway crash That's 16,000 shoes for the math-challenged among us. Collection was a huge undertaking. Now comes the equally daunting task of distribution. Lauren Skidmore of the Open Door Network can explain how it works. 'We are going to distribute this among the entire homeless population,' she said at Tuesday's press conference announcing the collection total. 'We'll make sure that every shelter has access to a quality pair of shoes for each of their clients. We know we have over 1,000 individuals in shelters right now. We're going to make sure they have access to these shoes and then there are 8,000 pairs of shoes that we're receiving today so we're going to be able to store the shoes and keep them throughout the year for new clients that are coming in.' Skidmore's agency serves more than the homeless, noted supporter Nona Darling. 'Not only is it homeless people who need shoes but also survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking,' she said. 'They're all served by the Open Door Network.' Anyone can help, according to Jim Darling, who has helped coordinate the shoe drive for years. 'Everybody has a pair of shoes they bought, that I bought, that you bought, that sit in our closet,' he said. 'We think they're (no longer) cool, they are not comfortable, they don't fit right, they're out of style, whatever it is, but they're good, usable shoes that someone in need would really appreciate.' Rolnick, who's been at the corner of 21st and Chester these many decades, is grateful for the continuing community support. 'It's just heartwarming to know that I can change somebody's life with a decent pair of shoes,' he said. 'Some worn, some new. It's just been incredible.' First you're hearing of this worthy cause? Guarantee Shoe Center is collecting your wearable used shoes year-round. Just drop them at the downtown store at 2101 Chester Ave. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Denim Day raises awareness of ‘victim blaming' during Sexual Assault Awareness Month
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, with the last Wednesday of every April being known as Denim Day. It's not just a day to show off your favorite jeans, it's a day to raise awareness about sexual assault, and speak out against victim blaming. But to understand why we have Denim Day now, we first must go back to Italy in 1998, when a high-profile rape trial saw a shocking development, years after the original decision. The conviction was overturned. A list of the largest settlements reached by organizations and victims of sexual abuse The appealed decision was based on the defendant's account that the victim's jeans were so tight he couldn't have removed them himself, implying consent. 'Shortly after that, women showed up to the Italian parliament in jeans,' said Open Door Network CEO Lauren Skidmore. The gesture started a movement that went worldwide, and years later, Los Angeles-based organization Peace Over Violence established Denim Day. Now, according to Peace Over Violence, millions worldwide wear denim on the last Wednesday in April to protest. 'It really is an opportunity for us to stand with victims of sexual assault and try to reduce victim shaming that happens every single day,' said Skidmore. Victims like Carrie Blind, who moved past her pain and now owns a salon in downtown Bakersfield. Like many others, she had her own issues with victim blaming. 'I was sexually assaulted by two, possibly three men at the same time,' she said. 'When it comes to Denim Day and talking about victim blaming, it's very difficult sometimes as a survivor to be taken seriously, because there are accusations of sexual abuse that are made up,' Blind said. 1st Kern County defendant convicted under Prop 36 sentenced 'No one wants to believe that their brother or their friend or their son has the capability of assaulting someone sexually. So absolutely, there's lot of blaming of victims that happens like 'what was she wearing, what did she say, what did she do, how did she allude to the fact that she gave him permission to do something like that?'' And so the denim isn't just a fashion trend. It's a stance. A stance defending those who have suffered enough already. 'For so long I felt so ugly. I felt so terrible about myself that I didn't want to be seen in a community, I didn't want people to know that I had experience what I had experienced,' said Blind. 'Now being able to participate in Denim Days, it makes a difference. It gives all of us survivors an opportunity to stand up and say, 'yes, this happened to me.'' If you are a victim of sexual violence, you're not alone. Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673, or visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network's website at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
