Enos Elementary School first-grader Adonus McGruder and third-grader Kievan Walters were so excited about getting new athletic shoes Thursday that they tested them out by running down the hallway outside of the library.

"I think I'm going to be the fastest one in my class," McGruder said, after his run in his black Nikes. "They're good."

McGruder and Walters were among about 60 students from Enos who got new pairs of shoes and socks from SIU School of Medicine students through the "Shoes That Fit" program.

Since 2007, the medical school has provided more than 1,000 pairs of shoes to area students through the national program.

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SIU Medicine students were also at McClernand Elementary School on Wednesday.

Khloe Sandercock, a fourth-year medical student from Rochester, helped McGruder pick out his shoes. Watching him run in the shoes, she said, reinforced why she has been with the shoe giveaway for three years.

"That is my favorite thing," Sandercock said with a laugh. "They put on that new pair of shoes and they can do anything. They can dance better. They can run better. They're just so thrilled and it's fun to see what they can do in their new shoes."

Walters said he thought his red Champion shoes would make him faster, so he gave it a try.

"Whoa, that is faster! Wow!" Walters said excitedly.

Walters said he had no idea he was getting a new pair of shoes.

"Not at all," he said. "I was thinking, like, this would be a usual day. But I'm going to wear them every day."

Hope Cherry, program director for SIU Medicine's Center for Clinical Research in the Department of Community and Family Medicine, said students organize the event and purchase the shoes.

The medical school held a "Casual Day" to raise money for the "Shoes That Fit" campaign. Other faculty and staff members and students, Cherry said, donated pairs of shoes.

The requirement for the national program, Cherry added, is to only give away athletic shoes, partly because athletic shoes can be worn in any setting, inside and outside, and promote play and activity.

Cherry said shopping for the shoes at Walmart was "a big haul, but it's a fun time to pick out styles and colors of shoes we think kids would really like."

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SIU Medicine has had a relationship with Enos for 35 years, Cherry said. Students hold a health fair for students and families every fall. They also read and mentor to Enos students.

Aisha Stemmons, the family and community engagement (FACE) liaison at Enos Elementary, said faculty and staff members at the school sometimes make note of students who might need new shoes. Families, she said, also reach out to the school and the kids themselves might mention something if their shoes are too tight or their shoes are hurting them.

Cherry said a McClernand Elementary student had been wearing slippers to school because he didn't have a pair of shoes that fit his feet. A first-grader at McClernand slipped a new pair of shoes on Wednesday and started crying, she said.

"Both of them walked away happy because they had shoes that actually fit their feet," Cherry said.

Third-grader William Schuh said he liked his new red athletic shoes. They even helped make him grow, he said.

"I grew one centimeter (in them) or probably two or if I'm very lucky, maybe three," Schuh said. "I'm going to wear these on PE days or maybe every day. I'm going to test them at recess."

Kindergartner Ariel Johnson said it was "a nice surprise" to get a pair of new black athletic shoes, but that she also liked her other pair of shoes.

Sandercock said she has already applied to about 15 different hospitals and centers for her residency next year. SIU School of Medicine students like Sandercock get matched with residencies in March.

Sandercock said she wants to go into pediatrics.

"It's just a special feeling, knowing I helped the kids in the community, especially being from the area, to be able to give back and to see the difference, even if it's something this small," she said of the shoe giveaway. "It makes you feel good, it makes you feel happy and excited for them and excited for what this is going to do for them."

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Tommy Johnston, a second-year student from Springfield, said it was worth it seeing the smiles on the faces of the kids.

"They're so heartfelt and so down to earth," said Johnston, who wants to go into emergency room medicine or pediatrics. "Their expressions are so genuine. Putting on a new pair of shoes changes their entire outlook." 

Stemmons, who has been at Enos for six years, said she always comes away with a sense of gratitude after the event.

"For people who think that shoes don't make a big difference, it makes a big difference in (kids') self-esteem," Stemmons said. "They walk down the hall after leaving here like they're on cloud nine because they have these awesome shoes that SIU helped donate."

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.