Adam's Shoes

Growing up, my best friend was my older brother Adam, who was my closest in age relative.  We were two peas in a pod, and we looked so much alike that at times we joked that we were twins. Adam was outgoing, adventurous, and loved to make everyone in the room laugh.

 

Sadly, I lost my older brother Adam when I was fifteen years old. I accepted his death as a suicide when I was younger, but as I have grown older, now identify the root cause as  alienation. 

 

Adam succumbed to years of being ostracized, ridiculed, and bullied by his peers. Bullied for being “anorexic”, in reality his family suffered from food insecurity; he simply wasn’t always getting enough to eat.

 

Peers of Adam often drew attention to him for having a parent with a physical disability; who also suffered from mental illness that prevented her from actively being present in his life at times. 

 

As hard as Adam tried to blend in and occasionally be under the radar, he was a constant lightning rod for others' torment and harassment. He didn’t have the opportunities to join sports teams, learn an instrument, or pursue hobbies that would help him gain relationship building skills, personal growth, and self-exploration experiences.

 

Adam was only eighteen when he took his life. He was never able to see that there could be a better life outside of the home into which he was born. 

 

Sometimes the love one receives within one’s own four walls, can’t provide all the components needed for a child to flourish. We are here to engage and connect with the children born into circumstances beyond their control, and to show them that they matter, they are seen, and they are wanted. 

 

One of the biggest goals of Adam’s Shoes is to empower children by allowing them to use their own voice. By asking the children directly what they need and want for something as simple as a birthday gift, allows them to feel autonomy and empowerment that many may have never before experienced. 

 

We focus on the bigger picture, which is the overall quality of life. Every gift we send out to a child comes with a letter that has several other nonprofits in Maine listed. These programs and organizations are ones that their family can connect with and benefit from year around. 

 

We want to expose children from all backgrounds to as many possible avenues and venues where they might be able to find new hobbies, interests, dreams, friends, mentors, career ambitions, and support systems. 

 

By instilling a sense of community for children, it can help them see past any possible pain of the present and make them dare to dream of a brighter tomorrow. 

 

Adam is survived by his mother Denise, his father John, his older sister Erine, and his younger sister Christina. We love you, Adam.