COLUMBIA, S.C. — A shoe drive is underway in honor of the late Clyde Lipsey, a huge Lady Gamecock fan.
Clyde was a devout Gamecock Lady’s Basketball fan and season ticket holder before he passed away in May.
Clyde's daughter, Kim Lipsey Mitchell, said, "This past year he had to miss a lot of games due to his treatments.”
Clyde was diagnosed with cancer in December of 2019 and went through 14 radiation treatments.
“But his goal was to make it to when the Lady Gamecocks were to play UCONN," Kim said, "That day he got to ring the bell it was his last radiation treatment. He was in attendance that night and got to watch 'his girls' beat UCONN.”
In May of this year, Clyde was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer and died suddenly. To remember him, his daughter Kim is holding a shoe drive for Dawn Staley’s organization Innersole.
“He called the basketball team ‘his girls’ so this year we are going to do a shoe drive hopefully to collect 5,620 pairs of shoes- and that number coincides with the date my father went to heaven which was May 6th, 2020,” his daughter said.
Innersole’s goal is to provide new sneakers to homeless children and children in need across SC. So far they’ve collected over 2,000 pairs of shoes and are still accepting donations.
“I have no doubt that my dad is smiling down from heaven. One, because we’re doing something good for somebody else which is what he used to do and secondly, because of ‘his girls,’ Dawn Staley and his lady gamecocks," Kim said.
If you'd like to help with this cause, you can reach out to Kim on her Facebook page or her cell at 803-237-7287.
Below are locations where shoes are being accepted:
- Cassell Brothers Heating and Cooling- 10042 Broad River Rd. Irmo, SC 29063
- Gallup and Lafitte Inc. -113 Columbia Ave. Chapin, SC 29212
- Fully Promoted- 7249 St. Andrews Rd. Suite 300, Columbia, SC 29212
- Kay Plumbing- 199 Atlas Vista Ct. Lexington, SC 29073
- Ringer Enterprises- 117 Wilson Park, Newberry, SC 29108
- Cuttin Up Family Hair, 14105 CR Koon Hwy, Newberry, SC 29108
- Earwood's Karate Studio- 3104 College St. Newberry, SC 29108
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