We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christopher Sisco a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Christopher , appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.
At Foot Forward Foundation, we know firsthand what it feels like to grow up without a quality pair of sneakers. That’s why we proudly champion our Kicks4Kids Ambassador Program an initiative dedicated to providing brand new, high quality sneakers to underprivileged children in our schools and communities.
The impact is immediate and powerful. We see the smiles, we feel the hugs, and we witness the joy of children who’ve never owned or even expected a pair of sneakers like these. It’s more than just footwear; it’s a step toward confidence, dignity, and belonging
Christopher , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
We, the founders of Foot Forward Foundation, originally started our journey with an organization called The Lost Parents Foundation, which focused on building community for individuals who had lost one or both parents regardless of whether their loss was recent or years ago. In addition to offering emotional support, we also served the less fortunate by distributing food and clothing to those experiencing homelessness.
Helping others has always been at the heart of what we do. As we evolved into Foot Forward Foundation, we leaned into our passion as sneakerheads. Rather than donating our gently worn sneakers to Goodwill, we decided to put them directly on the feet of those in need.
What started as a small act quickly revealed a larger need we only had a limited range of sizes and couldn’t serve everyone. That’s when we turned to our friends, family, and community both in person and online and asked them to donate their gently worn shoes as well.
Today, thanks to that collective effort, we’re proud to provide both new and gently worn shoes to men, women, and children experiencing homelessness or hardship. Every pair is a step toward helping them put their best foot forward!
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
This question made me laugh because I actually met my co-founder, Maurizio Raponi, through his cousin who was my girlfriend at the time. We’d see each other at family gatherings and quickly bonded over our shared love for music. That connection led us to making songs together in Maurizio’s home studio back in 2014.
Over the years, our friendship has grown through our mutual passions for music, sports, and giving back. That foundation of creativity and purpose is what continues to fuel our partnership and friendship today.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
As former athletes, Maurizio and I naturally carried a “first or last” mentality we’re fiercely competitive and hate to lose. When we first started our nonprofit journey, we instinctively viewed similar organizations as competition.
But through the guidance of our mentors, we came to understand that the nonprofit world operates on a different playing field. It’s not about competing it’s about collaborating. We’ve since embraced the mindset that when we work together, we all win especially the people we’re trying to help. The goal is not to outdo one another, but to uplift one another so we can better serve our communities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Footforwardfoundation.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footforwardfoundation/profilecard/?igsh=dG9tY2Y0ZG10ZDU3
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-j-sisco-1bb4114b?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Twitter: https://x.com/footforwardfdn?s=21&t=9vUH03o8ZPjJQqvhWlSRiQ
Image Credits
Maurizio Raponi