“Then close your eyes and tap your heels together three times. And think to yourself, it’s the first day of school.”

As it approaches the month of August, thoughts of the upcoming school year begin to emerge. Students anticipate their class schedules and start to purchase their back-to-school essentials.

Though shopping for school supplies and clothing seems habitual for most on Bainbridge Island, some are less fortunate and cannot manage the cost of these necessities.

Keep it on the Rock, a local organization founded in December 2014, decided to initiate a back-to-school shoe drive this summer so every child on Bainbridge would return to school with a brand-new pair of shoes.

The six main volunteers of the organization are Sue Wilmot, Joe Wettleson, Karn Adams, Jeff Adams, Kelly Gurza and Greg Beemer.

The organization began its work last Christmas with a gift drive. At the time, they were called Elves on the Rock. They ended up providing gifts and supplies for 35 different families on the island.

“I got the great opportunity to play Santa,” said Beemer, an island native and active board member. “It added to my Christmas spirit, because children know it’s Christmas time and that Santa probably isn’t going to make it this year, and their parents are bracing them for that. Then all of a sudden, Santa’s knocking on their door with two big bags of toys.”

After their gift drive, Keep it on the Rock decided to focus on children under the age of 18 in emergent need situations. They also underwent a name change.

The group attempted to come up with various names for each holiday, and Beemer suggested one for Valentine’s Day. “I said, ‘Well, how about Cupid on the Rock?” Beemer said. “And everyone in the group thought I had said, ‘Keep it on the Rock.’ Then they went, ‘Keep it on the Rock, that’s a great idea!’”

At the Fourth of July Parade, Keep it on the Rock marched in “The Wizard of Oz” attire and passed out coloring pages to children (which can be scanned and uploaded to Keep it on the Rock’s Facebook page).

After the parade, the shoe drive commenced.

There is a common misconception on the island that Bainbridge is a universally wealthy community. Not only is this due to the perception of Bainbridge as a place with million dollar waterfront homes, but also because those living on Bainbridge with little to no income do not wish to advertise their status.

“There is a sense of pride on Bainbridge,” Beemer said. “People don’t want to raise their hand to ask for help. This is why we have applications for people to nominate families they know to receive help.”

Keep it on the Rock first became aware that some island families may not be as affluent as people think through the local chapter of the Boys & Girls Club.

When Keep it on the Rock learned that 30 percent of the Boys & Girls Club’s memberships, which are rather inexpensive, were provided through scholarships, they knew there must be a portion of the children on the island who could not afford new shoes.

“It was always a big deal [as a kid] to go in August, before school started, and get a new pair of shoes,” Beemer said.

“Every single child deserves a new pair of shoes for school,” he added.

Keep it on the Rock has paired up with local business Sole Mates, who will be providing a discount on shoes for Keep it on the Rock to purchase for the drive. Sole Mates will also be selling “shoe bucks” to raise money for the cause.

Community members can contribute by purchasing “shoe bucks” at Sole Mates, donating through PayPal at www.keepitontherock.org, and by attending the Ruby Shoes Family Walk on Saturday, July 25.

The walk will take place at Battle Point Park from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., where families can walk the “Yellow Brick Road.”

In addition, a raffle will be held. Prizes include a pizza party courtesy of That’s A Some Pizza. Raffle winners will be announced at 6:15 p.m.

One lap around the Yellow Brick Road course will earn the participant three tickets. To earn an additional five tickets, participants can wear red shoes. Also, children under the age of 18 may earn one ticket by completing a shoe coloring page. Tickets are available for purchase at $1 for one ticket, and $5 for seven tickets.

Concessions will also be sold.

Applications for back to school shoes are due Sunday, July 26. On Aug. 1, the shoe drive will come to a close, applications will be vetted, and shoes will be distributed as soon as possible.

“They’ll be able to go in, try them on, and pick out what shoes they want at Sole Mates,” Beemer said. This way, children can have a typical back-to-school shopping experience.

The hope is that with the cost of shoes taken out of the equation, parents can afford standard school supplies for their children, Beemer added.

There will be about a three-week window for families to pick up shoes.

Keep it on the Rock is also dedicated to keeping the families receiving aid completely anonymous.

Keep it on the Rock will continue to host gift drives, hygiene drives, and shoe drives in the future. They are asking that islanders bring forth their ideas of how they can help the community.

“We want to keep on giving as much as possible,” Beemer said. “We can give, so we should.”

Shoe drive

What: Ruby Shoes Family Walk.

When: 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25.

Where: Battle Point Park.