BallerificKicks: 10-Year Old Uses His Birthday To Touch The Soles Of Others- blogged by @ niksofly

This is a story that will make you have faith in humanity once again.

Birthdays are usually the only day we all can be self indulgent without any repercussions. After all, it’s a celebration of our individual births. But is it really? Is our day of birth ,something that we had no control over, an occasion that should be celebrated selfishly? Or can we use our starting point as a platform to create a legacy that will live long pass the days we cease to breathe and exist?

For 10-year old #GunnerRobinson, it is the latter. The Wilmington, North Carolina youngster has used his birthday (for the last three years) as an opportunity to collect shoes for the less fortunate instead of gifts for himself. Each year gives pairs of kicks to the community kids that need them for the upcoming school year. #GunnersRunners has managed to donate 600 pairs of shoes over the course of its inception.

As amazing as this is, it isn’t Robinson’s only philanthropic effort. The compassionate kid collected 400 pounds of food for those in need Thanksgiving 2014.

Kristi Robinson, Gunner’s mother, believes her son’s “ah ha moment” came in 2013 when the family sponsored a young girl for Christmas. The adolescent would not have had any shoes to wear if his family hadn’t purchased them. It just stuck with him. And from that small window in life, a large picture painted in philanthropy and humanity developed. Instead of asking for gifts for himself on his birthday, he asked for donations to make sure all kids had nice shoes to wear.

Gunner told WWAY, “I’ve always got shoes, like new shoes for school, nice ones, and I want other kids to get them, too.”

Way to go Gunner!!! #BallerificKicks #BallerificCharity #BallerAlert #InTheNews #Sneakerhead

-Niko Rose