Being The Adult I Needed

“Be the adult you needed when you were younger.”
- Ayesha Siddiqi

This has been my approach to life for a good while now, honestly. I do my best to look at where I have come from and grow and learn from it. I grew up in a poor home. I used to steal to eat. I have scars from the times I hurt myself in a kitchen when I was way too young to be making my own meals. I have lived a life full of abandonment, neglect, verbal, mental, physical, and sexual abuse. I’ve lived in neighborhoods full of gangs and young hoods trying to make a name for themselves. I’ve been in fights inside and outside the home. I know what it’s like to be stabbed at school and have bullets come through my bedroom window. I also know what it’s like to lose the ones closest to me to drunk drivers and AIDS and cancer and Alzheimer’s. For years, I have battled insomnia, depression, anger management, and PTSD, and I have, thankfully, failed at committing suicide on more than one occasion.

With all that has happened, I can now look back on these things and know that I am still truly blessed. I have a beautiful, amazing, and supportive wife and a precious, smart, goofy daughter. I have a powerful connection with and never-ending love of God. My wife and I have great jobs that have served us well. We have a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, and love abound. I know that although every day may not be the best one, this life I have been given is a blessed one.

And this is perhaps what has led me here. I try to be that adult that I so desperately needed when I was young. I want people to know that no matter what they may be going through, they are not alone. That there are people out here that understand… that care.

I have always been involved in giving back as much as I can, in as many ways as I can. Money can always help and but there’s also value in rolling up my sleeves and digging in to get things done. Support comes in many ways. Creativity and compassion are among them, and those are things I can always contribute.

With KFAC, the goal is simple - put out some rad shoes, raise some funds, and help as many people as we can. Whether your purchase is from our main collection or from a specific campaign with one of our partners, know that 100% of the proceeds from that sale go directly to helping those who need it. We are fully nonprofit in that nobody in this organization earns a paycheck. We are a group of volunteers who only want to help make a difference, spread as much love as possible, and provide great soles for great souls.

With Love,

Will Shields
Founder and Executive Director at KFAC