As a social worker, I have seen too many cases where people have to go without because they cannot afford to meet their basic needs. Reading stories about people who help the less fortunate reminds me that there is still a shred of humanity left in the world. This girl, who just so happens to have a vision disability, chose to overlook her problems to find shoes for the homeless. (/p>

(CNN) – For 13-year-old McClain Hermes, the inspiration to impact her world began in 2009, after her father showed her a magazine article about a shoe recycling program. “We decided (that instead of) recycling them, we would collect them and give them to people that needed them,” she says.

And with that, Shoes for the Souls was born and delivered 365 pairs of shoes that first year.

In the five years since, the Georgia teen and her father, Matt Hermes, have collected about 10,000 pairs of shoes for an Atlanta homeless shelter.

But what’s especially impressive about this middle school student is she does this despite the daily struggles life brings her. About the time she began collecting shoes, she developed vision problems that ended up with one of her retinas detached and her vision extremely limited in the other. She’s now legally blind, and doctors say she will be completely without sight in the next two to five years. Outside the comfort of her home, she oftentimes will need to use a cane.
CNN: Helping the homeless: one”step” at the time

As a blind person, I am very proud of this young lady. She is indeed inspirational and serves as proof that we the blind of the world can give back to society, making a difference for those less fortunate than ourselves. Good job! You rock!