Pia Sachdev is a 17-year-old student at Rancho Solano Prep School in Scottsdale. While most kids her age are focused on typical teenage things, Sachdev has all that and a hobby-turned-philanthropic-effort to keep her busy.
“I started painting shoes during quarantine for myself, to express myself better,” she says. “Then I started making them for friends for birthdays and things like that. I opened an Etsy shop, but then I realized I wanted to do it as a charity. Now I donate sneakers to kids at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.”
Sachdev’s love of sneakers and cure for boredom has now turned into a beautiful, ongoing gift—and it all began when someone close to her needed a smile.
“In October 2020, my brother was admitted to PCH (Phoenix Children’s Hospital) for a week or two, but I could see how scared he was and knew how scary it was for me,” she explains. “Right before he got admitted, I had given him a pair of shoes for his birthday, and I could tell how happy it made him. I thought, what about these other kids who are here long term? I could give shoes to them to help them feel better, even if it’s just something small like sneakers.”
It's certainly no small thing. Each pair Sachdev makes and donates takes one to two weeks to complete.
“I send a form to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s Child Life department, and they pick a child who will be a good fit to fill out the form,” she explains. “They send it back to me so I can order everything that I need. My parents help me buy the shoes, and I also just got a job at Mountainside Fitness, so I’ll use my paycheck, as well.”
Although Sachdev has no plans to make painting sneakers a full-time career, she has plenty to keep her busy and a great outlook.
“I have a lot of other passions,” she says. “I want to be a doctor of sports medicine. I like science, and I’m a soccer player, but I always want to stay involved with art and custom sneakers, as well. Anything you can do to brighten someone’s day, it always helps.”
Visit @Sneakers_for_Smiles on Instagram to keep up with Sachdev’s designs and for details on how to win a pair in a raffle she’s holding to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.