HAMMOND — The South Shore Convention and Visitor Authority has partnered with the Red Shoe Project to help local children have access to athletic shoes. Red Shoe Project, an organization started by Hanover High School sophomore Eric Lakomek, collects athletic shoes and equipment to provide to less fortunate children and teens.

“I noticed that a lot of kids in the Cedar Lake community didn’t have (sports) equipment to play with, so I decided to collect it and pass it out to the families so that underprivileged kids could have the opportunity to play like I can,” said Lakomek. The project has provided equipment for Cedar Lake Little League, as well as basketballs and soccer balls for Cedar Lake’s Jane Ball Elementary School.