Wilmington Elementary Students Receive Shoes from Kettering Health, Cincinnati Bengals & Just a Pair of Shoes

On February 5, 2026, Kettering Health partnered with Just a Pair of Shoes and the Cincinnati Bengals to donate shoes to children at Denver Place Elementary. The event featured an appearance by the Ben Gals and Who Dey, the football team's mascot.

According to Aimee Fahey, Vice President of Patient Care and Chief Nursing Officer at Kettering Health, the event's goal was to promote health, give children the proper "gear" to be physically active, and boost confidence. She stated, "It's important to us just to promote health in the whole community... We provide healthcare services, but we want to promote a healthy lifestyle, so that's important to us, and then also, it's so important to mentor our children and to help guide them so that they can be successful."

Roughly 80 students in third, fourth, and fifth-grade at Wilmington City Schools received shoes during the event. The students were called to walk the "red carpet," fitted with their shoes, and were then able to "test them out" in the gym. Before the ceremony, Matthew Cline, founder of Just a Pair of Shoes, shared his background and encouraged the kids to be good students, good children at home, and to be good friends. Cline ended by saying, "Today is about having a dream and going after it... And your new shoes are a tool to help you get there."

Fahey shared that in addition to physical well-being, the event also promotes mental well-being. She stated, "This helps them to not only have those physical pieces of equipment, their shoes, but also helps emotionally boost their confidence, and help them know someone is interested in them and their success."

To learn more about Kettering Health, visit ketteringhealth.org.