Being part of the sneaker game has taken 20-year old Dante Holley on an emotional ride for the past few years. An avid collector, the South Jersey native's shoes were destroyed in a house fire in 2015. Fueled by the realization that family, health and safety were far more valuable than material items, he used his knack for getting his hands on sneakers for more charitable efforts, beginning with a 1,000-shoe donation to the non-profit Soles4Souls. A sign that good things happen to good people, Holley then became one of a handful of Kanye West fans to correctly guess The Life of Pablo as the album title ahead of its release earlier this year, landing him a free pair of Yeezy Boosts.
Around the same time, dark side of the sneakers reared its ugly head again. In March, 21-year old Jamaal "Mally" Gaines was gunned down inside of his New Jersey sneaker store. The tragic event hit home for Holley, who told Atlantic City that he was inspired by his peer's story. When he heard about the shooting, Holley reached out to Gaines' family and later joined them for a public event to speak out against sneaker violence.
Holley, an aspiring rapper and producer, continues to use his platform to confront the issue of sneaker violence. In perhaps his biggest endeavor to date, the young man is sponsoring the 2016 Sneaker Violence 5K run this Saturday. The event will benefit God’s Gift, a Pleasantville nonprofit that invests in the future of young people.
According to the report, the race is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, beginning and ending at Kennedy Plaza, where registration will take place starting at 8 a.m.
