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Mark Wahlberg Foundation donates shoes to Palm Beach County children

Posted at 5:36 PM, Jan 30, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-30 17:37:00-05

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — There's nothing like a new pair of kicks, and dozens of kids in the Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County got to experience that on Friday.

A big donation poured into the club in Riviera Beach from the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.

Brother Jim Wahlberg was on hand to meet the kids and give out the shoes. He said the Boys and Girls Clubs gives kids a safe place to spend their time and was critical for his family growing up.

"The Boys and Girls Club raised us. They raised us. The Dorchester, Massachusetts Boys and Girls club raised us," Wahlberg said. "In Boston, there's a thing about shoes, having brand new shoes. And we never had brand new shoes. I always had the person who was older than me."

"There's a lot of hand-me-downs, and I'd like to think they all fit perfectly, but that's not the case. They are ill-fitting. So this donation from the Mark Wahlberg Foundation and K-12 is gonna bring so much happiness to our kids," said Jaene Miranda, the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County.

The kids were all smiles opening and trying on their new shoes. The foundation said it delivered 500 pairs of shoes on Friday.