KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Step by step, Jacob Ostenton is making a difference.
“You want to try and put someone in the safest scenario possible,” Ostenton explained. “And that’s what my goal is. Not having proper shoe support, that’ll break your foot down real quick.”
Earlier, we introduced you to Cortez Sexton Jr. — big smile, big spirits and even bigger feet.
“It comes out to a size 23,” Ostenton said. “Truly, with him wearing that size 21 he had blown out of, I don’t know if you noticed or remembered, his toe was coming out the front of it, that means it’s too short. He’s wearing a shoe that’s two sizes too small for him.”
Sexton's boss, Donnell Taylor, started the conversation. He emailed KSHB 41 looking for help to find a shoe with the perfect fit for Sexton's 6'11" frame.
Luckily, Ostenton stepped up to help.
“I had something that came over me," he said. "I’m so glad he tagged me in it. And I’m so glad you reached out to me, that we’re able to do this.”
Ostenton has been making shoes from scratch for about four years. After meeting Sexton, he decided to make a work boot for the auto mechanic.
We asked him to explain the process to us.
“What I really noticed, off the bat, is he had a really flat foot. He didn’t really have much of an arch, and with that, your instep starts to bulge," Ostenton said. "And you can actually tell. That’s his bulge on his foot. He has two different bulges on his feet, so he basically has two completely different shaped feet.”
No matter a person's age, not having a sturdy pair of shoes can cause intense harm.
“It can literally make your life miserable,” Ostenton said. “It’s not comfortable. It affects the ability to be able to do your job or schoolwork in an efficient way.”
For every adult like Sexton, there are dozens of children with shoes too big, too small or too tight. Some even with too many holes.
As a self-proclaimed sneakerhead, Ostenton said he knows what a nice pair of shoes can do.
“It can boost your confidence," he said. "In fact, it’ll make you happier, and if you have a happy life and [have] a happy outlook on things, it just makes, in my opinion, everything better.”
If shoes can make such a difference for an adult, just imagine what they can do for a child.
“It’s not always necessarily about the shoes,” Ostenton said. It’s a confidence builder. It’s changing people’s attitudes and mindsets of you don’t have to settle for something. There’s someone out there that cares.”
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