2026 Driving Change Award Winner | Casey Crouse

New Shoe Day, Indiana’s Shoe Bank

This summer, New Shoe Day's back to school campaign put new shoes on the feet of thousands of Hoosier kids across the state, culminating in a single day where over 3,000 Indianapolis middle school students walked out in new shoes. When we started in 2021, a summer like that would have been unimaginable to me. That is what makes receiving the Driving Change Award from the Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation so meaningful: it recognizes not just an idea, but an operation that is now changing what is possible for kids across our state.

My Capstone was building Indiana's Shoe Bank. New Shoe Day exists to create access to new footwear for the Hoosier youth who need it most. We maintain a central supply and stock a statewide network of community partners, schools, shelters, athletics programs, and community centers, so that shoes are never the reason a child cannot play, participate, or show up with confidence. Today that system touches nearly every border of the state and has deployed more than 18,000 pairs of new, name brand shoes while also operating14 Shoe Pantries.

MDLF is where this work grew into what it is. The fellowship taught me that fostering the change our communities need takes bold leadership and bold action. For me, that meant putting faith into action by evolving New Shoe Day to serve as Indiana's Shoe Bank, a statewide service removing a barrier for our youth that had otherwise gone unmet. Along the way, MDLF deepened my appreciation for the people of this state and connected me to relationships that have shaped my life and my work.

This award belongs to the community around New Shoe Day: our Board, our partners, our supporters, and the kids who remind us why our work is essential. Every child in Indiana deserves to step forward with dignity and confidence, and that is the work ahead.