Matt Eastman and Luke Johnson met while playing summer collegiate baseball in Geneva, New York. They formed a solid friendship beyond sports and stayed in touch through college and beyond. Eventually, Matt moved to California to work in the Bay Area, and Luke moved to Illinois for his job in Chicago.
Both young men are avid readers, regularly discussing their current reads when they had the opportunity to catch up together. Then Matt had the idea of forming a book club, where they’d read a book and discuss a book together that inspired them to level-up in career and life.
Because they were also interested in volunteering and making a difference, especially for children, they decided to combine the two: pair a book with a cause. They called it Pages 4 Progress.
The first book they chose was Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, founder of Nike. They wanted to work with a shoe charity and found Shoes That Fit on Google. Matt and Luke created a newsletter to share about the cause and invite friends and family to join in. They raised over twice their goal—enough to help 75 kids in Oakland, California. Each kid received new shoes, which directly contributes to their sense of dignity and confidence.
Matt was so excited when the shoes arrived! Due to COVID-closures, however, he was not able to deliver them personally. But he and Luke were happy the kids would have good-fitting, quality shoes so they could learn, play, and thrive at school each day.
“Sports offered so many opportunities for us, and we remember having new shoes for the start of each season. We wanted kids in underserved areas like Oakland to be
empowered with new shoes to pursue sports.” —Matt Eastman
Thank you, Matt and Luke, for using your love for reading—and the power of yourfriendship—as a positive influence for children in need!
