Getting kicks out of charity

Rachael Cram lives in a home where hand-me-down shoes are common. When she outgrows a pair, she often passes it down to her two younger sisters — although she said she doesn’t inherit footwear from her older sister, because her feet are too big.

Saturday at the Orange County Fair, though, Rachael and her family found a different use for beat-up shoes. The Cypress High School freshman, a member of the La Habra Hilltoppers 4-H Club, spent the afternoon manning a booth at the Ralphs Family Fair Way in which fairgoers could drop off their used footwear to be sent to Reuse-A-Shoe: a charity that breaks down old shoes and converts their material into sport courts, playground equipment and more.

Rachael and her fellow club members, who attended the fair in their uniforms of green scarves and berets, had already posted materials around La Habra and gotten donations around the neighborhood before Saturday.

By the time the Hilltoppers set up their booth, they had already amassed more than 150 shoes.

“One person contacted us from the flier, and they gave us maybe 20 pairs of shoes,” said Rachael’s mother, Jessica Cram.

Reuse-A-Shoe, which has drop-off locations in the United States, Europe and Australia, takes worn sneakers — no dress shoes, cleats or anything containing metal — and breaks them down into a substance called Nike Grind.

A machine divides the shoes into upper fabric, mid-sole foam and out-sole rubber, then shreds the components in a granulator. The material can be used as foam for tracks, playgrounds, basketball courts and other sporting areas.

Rachael said she was planning to host a drop-off event in La Habra, but when she heard that the fairgrounds had an open area for booths, she changed her location. Before the fair, she had been busy collecting donations around her home.

“I’ve done door-to-door around my neighborhood, and we’ve probably got 100 pairs,” she said.

Saturday, a plastic bin a few yards away from the Hilltoppers’ booth filled nearly to the brim with discarded shoes.

Cindy Luna, also of La Habra, said she had two Trader Joe’s bags full of shoes at home and planned to drop them off with the Hilltoppers.

“We just figured we would go through our old shoes and sort them out,” she said. “It was time, anyway.”

THINGS TO DO

SEAL AND NIKKA COSTA

One of Seal’s hits is “Fly Like an Eagle”; Costa hit it big with “Like a Feather.” It should be a soaring night at the Pacific Amphitheatre, as they take the stage 7 p.m. Tickets are $39.50 to $69.50.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

Mixed martial arts features myriad full-contact fighting techniques from various martial arts traditions. Starting at 7 p.m. in the Grandstand Arena, fighters in four weight classes — from 135 pounds to 205 pounds — will go at each other. Seating is free with fair admission.

PEKING ACROBATS

While the world prepares for the Olympics in Beijing, you can get a glimpse of China at the Park Plaza stage, as the acrobats put on death-defying shows at 5:15, 7:15 and 9:15 p.m.

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at [email protected].