Heather Hopkins

Heather Hopkins, Founder and Co-Executive Director of My New Red Shoes, first got the idea to start her nonprofit organization after hearing a story from her mother about growing up poor and dreading the first day of school, so ashamed was she of her clothing. Heather founded My New Red Shoes in 2006 and has enjoyed the ride from very early startup to a bursing-at-the-seams-and-ready-to-grow organization. The mission of My New Red Shoes is to empower homeless and very low-income youth to succeed in school by providing them with brand new clothing so that they may greet the school year with pride and by educating and rallying the youth community around the needs of homeless children.

Heather is the mother of three-year-old Annie and juggles the challenges of working at home with preschool and an ever-changing childcare situation. Prior to founding My New Red Shoes, Heather was a freelance writer for children.