MADISON, Wis. — "You can't understand someone until you walk a mile in their shoes."

Ethan Happ, senior center on the Wisconsin men's basketball team, took this mission to heart with the creation of "The Shoe Project." The initiative began during the 2017-18 season and is now continuing into year two.

Happ plans to give young Badger fans, often from underrepresented communities in Madison, the opportunity to walk in his shoes. At every home basketball game, Happ will meet and personally gift an autographed pair of his size 15 basketball shoes to a different deserving Badger fan.

It all started during the summer of 2017, while Happ was cleaning out his apartment. He realized that he had accumulated more than 20 pairs of shoes, many of which he barely wore.

"Working with Patrick Herb (UW athletic communications), we came up with the idea to give the shoes to special fans that have dealt with some hardships at an early age," said Happ. "I came up with the idea for The Shoe Project after seeing NBA players give out their shoes and even jerseys to young fans after games."
 

However, the creation of The Shoe Project stems deeper than the act of giving alone, but rather the opportunity to be a positive influence in the lives of young Badger fans.

"When I was little, if my favorite college player had given me a pair of his shoes and signed them, I would still be talking about it today as one of my all-time greatest memories," added Happ.

"If I can bring a kid half of that happiness, I am more than happy to do it."

Happ has successfully brought meaning to an otherwise ordinary object: a pair of shoes. Through The Shoe Project, Happ has already impacted countless of young, deserving Badger fans.

The initiative, which includes tickets to the game for his special guests, resumed during the exhibition game against UW-Oshkosh and will continue at home games at the Kohl Center.

Learn more about Badgers Give Back.