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Except for a lack of laces, the white athletic shoes seemed to be in pretty good shape. But to Veronique Koken, they were an eyesore, having been dumped along the walkway she and her two sons travel on their way to and from Cumberland Elementary School.
The shoes weren't the only debris that offended Koken's sensibilities, so she decided to organize a cleanup of the walkway, which crosses Peach and Pear avenues then abuts the school.
"I want kids to understand that they can pitch in and help out because this affects their daily lives," Koken said. "I've been tempted to pick up [the shoes], but I've been waiting for the cleanup."
Koken collaborated with Cumberland's PTA and the City of Sunnyvale on the Dec. 2 cleanup. The PTA donated plastic trash bags and safety gloves, and the international organization Clean Up the World donated burlap bags for sorting recyclables.
Although the walkway is city property, Jim Craig of Sunnyvale's Department of Public Works said the city only has the resources to clean it up a couple of times a year.
"The city is working to do an 'adopt a facility' type of program," Craig added. "This [cleanup] is an instance where a citizen came forward."
While the shoes were unsightly, Koken said she was also worried about waste such as plastic bags that could harm wildlife in the area.
"I'm concerned with the ecosystem, not just things that disturb us visually," she added.
When the first group of students set out with their trash bags, the walkway seemed fairly debris-free.
"It looks like someone already cleaned this place up," said first-grader Rhiana Ferguson, 6.
"We only have two pieces of trash," said her classmate Amanda White, 7.
There was more trash to be found on the next block, however,
"This is a littery part," said Amanda as she and five other students vied for scraps of paper and other waste.
Rhiana found the shoes, which Koken suggested they donate to charity. But the young trash collector had misgivings about that idea.
"They really stink," Rhiana said of the abandoned footwear.
The cleanup attracted a couple dozen students, parents and teachers. Koken said she plans to organize other environmentally focused events for the Cumberland community.
"We want to make kids aware that when there's a problem, they can be empowered to do something," Koken said. "We could do something bigger during Earth Day next year. [This cleanup] sets the tone."
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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer