A local charity, designer and artist will be featured in Sunday’s Buffalo Bills game against the New England Patriots.
In week 13 of the season, players participate in the My Cause, My Cleats campaign where they sport their favourite charities on their feet.
This year, Classroom Champions was chosen to be part of the initiative and customized shoes were created for Buffalo Bills punter Colton Schmidt.
The charity, located in Calgary, pairs athletes such as Olympians, Paralympians and NFL players with schools in underserved communities and has mentored over 25,000 students in classrooms located in both Canada and the U.S.
The cleats were designed by Calgary-based art director Leo Perez and hand-painted by local shoe artist and owner of Bigfoot Custom Shoes, Stacey Robins.
Perez made the design but she wasn’t sure how to paint them on shoes, which is where Robins stepped in.
“Their graphic designer was freaking out because she had never painted a shoe before so she went to the paint store where I buy my paint and they said, ‘Why don’t you just call Stacey? I’m sure she’ll do it.’ So they called me up and they asked if I’d do it, and I cleared my schedule and had them done in four days,” Robins explained to NewsTalk 770.
She said all she had to do was prep the shoes and make the design happen.
After the games, players will autograph their cleats for auction with proceeds benefiting their chosen charities.
A pair of cleats was designed and painted for defensive tackle Jerel Worthy but he was released by the Bills prior to the game.
Worthy’s shoes will be included in the auction.
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