Her mother used to give new shoes to Fort Worth students. Now her daughter is following in her footsteps

Lisa Nichols finds her mother’s birthday bittersweet.

Three years ago, Nichols lost her mother, Maggie Sohel, a Fort Worth ISD educator, to endometrial cancer, only four days after Sohel’s 75th birthday. Nichols remembered how her mom secretly bought new shoes and paid utility bills for her students, many of whom came from low-income families.

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Maggie’s Sole Mission is accepting donations for Hubbard Heights Elementary School until Aug. 15. Those interested can visit here to buy shoes from the organization’s Amazon list or to donate.

To keep her mother’s spirit of giving alive, Nichols created the nonprofit Maggie’s Sole Mission with family and friends. Every year, the organization brings new footwear to a different school on Oct. 17, Sohel’s birthday. Hubbard Heights Elementary School in Fort Worth ISD, 1333 W. Spurgeon St., is this year’s recipient.

Nichols, who didn’t know about Sohel’s philanthropy until college, told her mother the idea for Maggie’s Sole Mission during one of their last conversations. Her mother could no longer talk at that point, but she blinked her eyes and smiled, Nichols said.

“I know how important that ‘unofficial’ mission was to her and how many lives were changed because of how much she cared,” she said. “I just felt like it’s the last thing I could do that I can continue to do for her.”

It wasn’t an easy promise to keep. Sohel died in October 2020. Four months later, Nichols started her doctoral studies in sociology and criminology. It was a hard time to start a charity, but she was determined. That same year, through social media, she and her team donated 78 pairs of shoes for Arlington ISD’s student outreach services program.

“There’s a part of her that’s in me,” Nichols said. “She’s stronger than I’ve ever been, and I think that there’s a part of her that that’s where my strength comes from.”

Last year, Maggie’s Sole Mission received a formal registration as a state nonprofit. The group raised over $5,600 to donate 354 pairs of new shoes to the Hope Center for Autism, the Fort Worth ISD’s Parent Partnerships department and T.A. Sims Elementary School — where Sohel served as principal.

The organization targets schools with similar demographics to those that Sohel served in, said Kayce O’Brien, board member of Maggie’s Sole Mission. Most students are from minority communities, and almost all qualify for free and reduced lunch.

The board members also look at the school’s size, O’Brien said.

“We’re a really small foundation, so if it’s a really big ask, we don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver,” she said.

Some people may support or honor a cause by donating to a charity or different organizations. But not Nichols. She researched how to best serve the community and went through the steps to create a nonprofit, O’Brien said.

“She’s really taking this thing that her mom used to do in a very private way and from money out of her own pocket to help take care of kids and to help combat this barrier to education for these low-income families,” she said.

The new shoes give students a sense of dignity and respect and well-being, said Edgar Gonatice, principal at Hubbard Heights Elementary School.

Gonatice said the organization’s mission aligns with this school year’s motto: hope, joy and urgency. Hope is when the families realize that they’re not alone. Joy is when they receive something brand new as a gift. And urgency is when people are serious about connecting and giving resources and support.

“It’s more than just the academics, but it’s bringing a community together in an academic setting where they can also experience positive social impact and emotional impact,” he said. “And the fact that Maggie’s Sole Mission has put us on the list and decided to connect with us. I’m very grateful for that.”

Fort Worth ISD trustee Anne Darr sees the organization as a perfect example of how one person can make a significant difference in a community.Darr has contributed to the nonprofit from her own wallet because she supports its mission and agrees that every student needs a good, new pair of shoes, she said. Students with good shoes are happier, walk taller, feel prouder and more active, which can directly impact their academic success.

“Maggie’s Sole Mission can’t put shoes on every kid that needs them. But she can put shoes on some, and one is more than zero,” Darr said.

Sohel mentored Marta Plata, executive director of student and family experience at Fort Worth ISD, when Plata was still an elementary school principal over a decade ago.

Plata learned from Sohel that an educator’s job is not just about grading and paperwork. You do that by night, Plata said. By day, it’s about helping children and families in an honorable way and without taking credit for the good deeds.

“I learned from her that the real work is out in the neighborhood, with your families and meeting their needs,” she said.

Sohel wouldn’t ask for help from organizations or anyone else to provide for families because she feared revealing their identities when they were already insecure about their financial hardships, Plata said.

In Plata’s memories, her mentor was quiet, humble and respectful.

Teachers close to her saw her dedication — how she knew families by name and how families would come up to her to show appreciation.

Every time a pair of shoes goes to a student, Plata can still feel Sohel’s love for her students, she said.

“Her daughter has taken it to a whole new level, but it’s the seed that Maggie started,” Plata said.

Nichols has watched the joy and confidence that overcomes students when Maggie’s Sole Mission donates new shoes at a school.

But Nichols’ favorite shoes are used. They’re black and pink — and a tad too small. Regardless, the shoes mean the world to her.

The pair was Sohel’s last — through all the chemotherapy sessions, all the falls and all the pain from cancer, Nichols said.

Nichols can feel her mother’s strength through the shoes. They carried her as she delivered new footwear to students at T.A. Sims Elementary.

“There’s a lot of meaning in walking in her shoes and trying to fill her shoes,” she said.

Dang Le is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected] or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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by Dang Le, Fort Worth Report August 12, 2023

Dang Le is a reporting fellow. He can be reached at [email protected]. Le has a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. He was the editor-in-chief at The Shorthorn, UTA’s... More by Dang Le