I was once in their shoes and I know just how far encouragement, mentoring and support can push them.”

Dr. Cleamon Moorer, assistant professor of Management at Kettering University, is hoping a gift to 50 needy students at International Academy of Flint will one day inspire those students to give back.

Moorer’s foundation, Dr. C. Moorer and Associates, Inc., is providing 50 pairs of Nike tennis shoes as well as copies of Moorer’s book, From Failure to Promise: An Uncommon Path to Professoriate, to students who were anonymously nominated by staff at IAF. The donation is part of Moorer’s foundation’s ‘Footsteps Toward Progress’ program, which is meant to inspire people to perform random acts of kindness in the mid-Michigan and Chicago areas.

"We want these young men to stay focused, encouraged and determined to reach their full potential and promise," Moorer said. "I was once in their shoes and I know just how far encouragement, mentoring and support can push them."

Image removed.The shoes are meant as both a way to help students in need and also a way to make students aware that others in the world care about them and their success.

“We hope this shows them the benefits of giving back and supporting others,” Moorer said.

Moorer’s Foundation was launched in 2010, aimed at both education and eradicating genocide worldwide. The organization provides yearly grants to students and educators and strives to provide encouragement and opportunities for students to become productive and civic-minded global citizens.

“Our mission is to improve global citizenship, and that starts with education,” Moorer said. “We want to help both students and educators reach their full potential.”

Image removed.Moorer, a 1999 Kettering University graduate, has worked as an engineer, planner and global services executive for AT&T, worked in private consulting, finished two masters degrees and a PhD and taught college students at Dominican University, Roosevelt University, Saint Xavier University and Trinity Christian College before accepting a faculty position at Kettering in 2013.

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