The Creation 

Southern Ohio Soles began with three Southern Ohio natives. Dayne Neff and Isaac Slark at Jackson High School, and Max Gentry at Oak Hill High School, all seniors at the time, who bonded over buying and reselling sneakers. They spent their weekends combing through outlet malls and studying resale markets. 

“We all resold sneakers,” Neff says. “Isaac started in eighth grade, Max and I in tenth grade, and we wanted to find a way to channel our passion into something positive.”   

As graduation approached, the three students knew they wanted to give back to the communities that raised them, and that sense of responsibility led to action.  

What started as a Google form sent to guidance counselors in the Jackson, Oak Hill and Wellston school districts quickly grew into a quiet system of care.  

When a school counselor identified a student who needed new shoes, they submitted the form. Slark would then search online for the right size and brand, purchase the shoes, and the three students would personally deliver them to the student in need. 

SOS exclusively gifts students name-brand shoes, setting it apart from other footwear nonprofits.  

“Whether people like to admit it or not, everybody notices what people have on,” Slark says. “When you’re in school, you can’t control your economic situation, what shoes go on your feet every day, so we thought having those name-brands could give a kid the confidence to make new friends, to feel like they fit in.” 

The Present 

Less than a year after its creation, Southern Ohio Soles evolved from a grassroots idea, becoming a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by sponsors across Southeast Ohio and donations fromaround the country. Its impact is growing steadily, now reaching beyond Jackson County into the Vinton and Pike County school districts.  

“A lot of kids from our area stay in their lane; they don’t think they can go above and beyond where they’re from. We want to show by example that this couldn’t be further from the truth.” Slark says. 

Slark and Gentry now both attend Ohio State University, studying operations management and civil engineering, respectively, while Neff is enrolled at Yale University, pursuing an economics degree. 

Back in Southeast Ohio, the organization relies heavily on its school district’s student representatives. The three co-founders say they are the heart and soul of the organization. Student representatives from each school district are tasked with identifying students in need, placing and organizing orders and delivering them to schools.  

The Future 

Gentry, Slark and Neff are deeply committed to running the organization from college and have no intention of slowing down. The Southern Ohio Soles website provides ways to donate, contact the team, and information on how to become a sponsor. 

Neff, Slark and Gentry emphasize that without the support of their surrounding communities, none of this would be possible, and with the help of their supporters, they can fulfill their dream of helping Southern Ohio kids never give up on theirs.