By Wyatt Miller
Rikki Mendias grew up in shelters with his mother for most of his childhood. He didn't have much to call his own, and his shoes had holes in the soles. One former resident of the CLARE|MATRIX treatment shelter, where Mendias was staying, noticed this and bought him two new pairs – that kindness sparked a lifelong desire to collect shoes, and to give back.
Mendias founded Hav a Sole in 2014, by which time he'd collected over 150 pairs of shoes, according to the website. Remembering how it felt to have none, Mendias found people on the street who looked like they could use new pairs. He posted before and after photos on social media, and an influx of support and donations followed – that's how Hav A Sole was born.
"I know what it's like to feel less than, and we don't want any of our kids to feel that way if we can help it," Mendias said.
On Saturday, Feb. 22, Mendias was honored as the Rams' first pLAymaker of 2025 at a "Together We Rebuild" event at SoLa Impact's The Beehive in Los Angeles. Since Mendias founded Hav A Sole in 2014, they have distributed over 65,000 pairs of shoes across 40 cities, embarking on road trips, organizing events and facilitating partnerships to aid their mission of giving out shoes to those in need.
In January of 2012, the Journal of American Podiatric Medical Association stated that a rate of 3 out of 15 homeless people had to be referred for foot problems, according to the Hav A Sole website. Mendias said people's "feet are their foundation," and he wants to help build that for those who are struggling, as he once was.
"We believe it starts with your feet, so trying to restore confidence... and we want to be able to bring young people moments they never forget," Medias said. "I want to hear them say, 'this is my first pair of Jordans, my first pair of Air Forces,' (and) just bring that joy and restore that dignity."
Hav A Sole gets donations from the community, but have also gotten thousands of shoes from 10 Nike outlets in the Los Angeles area. The foundation has ventured far past Los Angeles, however. During a road trip in 2018, Finish Line helped Hav A Sole collect nearly 600 pairs of shoes to be donated as they stopped in various major cities around the country, ending at their headquarters in Indianapolis.
The operation has only grown since then, as Mendias has received donations and support from a number of large organizations such as Finish Line Youth Foundation, Herbert Simon Family Foundation, Shutterfly, the L.A. Lakers, Apartments.com and more.
"I feel like it makes me focus in more and want to help lead (the youth) in a good direction which will ultimately change the direction our world is going in," Mendias said. "Speaking to everybody (about) our homelessness crisis, low income, we want to just be able to support everybody, lift them up out of their situation."
When he gave away his sneaker collection 11 years ago, Mendias said he never dreamed it would grow to this level. So when the Rams presented him with a $5,000 check for the foundation, he was shocked.
"I was born in Inglewood, so I grew up here," Mendias said. "And to work with a partner like the Rams is a full-circle moment for me, and I just get kind of choked up thinking about it."
"I gained more giving out one pair of shoes than I ever did owning hundreds," Mendias said on the Hav A Sole website.
