Matt Reed’s Post

Update 34/50 pairs donated for our June shoe drive. We will still be collecting through the day! The time has come for our Summer KICKS shoe drive for the DuBois Area Middle School! It's tough to hear, but there are children who walk around our schools with a size 8 foot in a size 6 shoe. There are kids who have duct tape wrapped around the toe box to help keep rain out of their sneakers. There are kids who could use a boost in self-confidence that we probably couldn't understand if we tried. Years ago, we decided that we were sick of hearing the stories, and we started KICKS by First Class to help. 600+ pairs of Nike's, Converse, and Jordan sneakers later, and we have a measurable program that shows immense impact on the culture and well-being of children in the DuBois Area School District. I am setting a goal of just 50 pairs by the end of June. The easiest way to donate is to go to our website: https://lnkd.in/eNy2RjXE and choose a pair. Check out, and we take care of the sizing. Your donation will ship direct to us. If you choose to donate a pair, there will be a donation card inside the box of shoes with your name on it. If you have any questions, please reach out to me. If you can't donate, please share!! If you do donate, please leave a comment on this post. When you give - others are inspired to give.

Some of my team members worked on this! It's really an amazing initiative.

Back in 2021, I found out some of the kids in my local schools had duct tape holding their shoes together. I wanted to change that. #sneakers #giving #bethegood #shoes #helping #charity

The time has come for First Class Children's Foundation's Summer KICKS shoe drive for the DuBois Area Middle School! It's tough to hear, but there are children who walk around our schools with a size 8 foot in a size 6 shoe. There are kids who have duct tape wrapped around the toe box to help to keep rain out of their sneakers. There are kids who could use a boost in self confidence that we probably couldn't understand if we tried. Years ago, I decided that I was sick of hearing the stories and we started KICKS by First Class to help. 600+ pairs of Nike's, Converse, and Jordan sneakers later and we have a measurable program that shows immense impact on the culture and well-being of children in the DuBois Area School District. I am setting a goal of just 50 pairs by the end of June. The easiest way to donate is to go to our website https://lnkd.in/eNy2RjXE and choose a pair. Check out and we take care of the sizing. Your donation will ship direct to us. If you choose to donate a pair there will be a donation card inside the box of shoes with your name on it. If you have any questions please reach out to me. If you can't donate, please share!! If you do donate, please leave a comment on this post. When you give - others are inspired to give.

Last week was my first graduation ceremony as a DuBois school board member, and it was extra special because my brother-in-law, Johny, graduated too! Congratulations, Johny! What made the day even more remarkable was the opportunity to look each of our graduates in the eye, shake their hands, and personally congratulate them on their outstanding achievement. When I decided to run for the school board, my motivation was clear: I wanted to make a difference for the kids. I have always believed that every decision we make should prioritize their best interests. Serving on the school board is not just a responsibility; it is a profound honor. I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me to help guide and support the educational journey of our students. Congratulations to the DAHS Class of 2024!

Today, I am reflecting on the past four months of my life. After leaving the car business, I began working for Scholastic's Chief Impact Officer, Judy Newman, on a new nonprofit organization called Impact Reading. Our flagship program, United States of Readers, is a top-tier educational intervention that distributes books to children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to own them. We allow the children in our program to choose their own books—a critical feature, as children are 90% more likely to read a book they have selected themselves. We also implement the program across entire schools: every child receives 10 books (two books per event, with five events per year), and every teacher receives 25 books to enhance their classroom libraries. At first glance, our initiative might seem like a simple book distribution program, but it is much more than that. It's a novel way to spark an interest in reading among all children, providing them access to the best books available, regardless of their families' economic situations. By the final events, children in our program tend to choose more challenging books. It's a celebration of reading that every child in every classroom gets to experience, stepping into a world of imagination that, frankly, some of these children have never had the opportunity to explore before. This program holds a special place in my heart because I have been executing the Imagination Box program for six years in my community. The impact that books can have on children is profound, and I am incredibly grateful to work every day on a program that I know will succeed. While I have had the honor of using my skills to help thousands of children in my community, Impact Reading offers me the chance to help millions of children experience the joy of literacy. I get to work everyday talking about this program to potential funders and community foundations. I can't wait to see what Impact Reading can become!

My Aunt Tracey recently passed away. My uncle and cousins decided to include First Class Children's Foundation in the obituary as a recommended charity for donations. With the donations we received, I purchased 23 children's books, which will be donated to the Oklahoma Elementary School where Aunt Tracey worked for 20 years. She would be honored to know that her legacy will live on. I stamped each book with a custom stamp featuring Snoopy, a character she often shared on social media. Thank you to all who donated!

I never really had the chance to express my gratitude to all the customers and friends I've met throughout my years in the automotive industry. It was truly a rewarding journey. My foray into this field began when Bob Johnson took a chance on me, hiring me as a nighttime telephone receptionist right after college. That opportunity was the starting point of a series of fortunate events that shaped my career. I enjoyed fruitful stints in both the service and sales departments at Johnson Motors, which provided me with invaluable experience. Later, Greg Murray saw potential in me and offered me a management position at Murray's Ford in DuBois, for which I'm profoundly thankful. The end of my tenure in the car business taught me some hard lessons, particularly when Spitzer acquired the independent, local, family-owned companies I'd come to know and love. Nonetheless, I have no regrets. Every moment was a valuable lesson and an integral part of my journey. I'm content where I am, feeling like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. A huge shoutout to everyone who supported me and believed in me throughout this adventure - your faith in me has been a significant driving force.