July ISlide Hero of the Month: My'Kel McMillen

This month's ISlide Hero is a young man from Boston, inspired to make a change in his community through selfless giving and relationship building. Nominated by his lifelong friend, Keandre Stanton, My'Kel 'Corey' McMillen has spent his last few years helping those in need by providing necessary items for free. 

“Mack’s Soles” was born in January 2017 in honor of My'Kel's late father, Charles “Mack” McMillen. In his own words..."My father enjoyed walking no matter the distance and was always talking about having good quality shoes that were comfortable for the journey. He was someone who you could label a “giver”. If he could help anyone, he did, that was his character. It did not matter if he was at work or in the community he was that type of person. As the saying goes, “The apple does not fall far from the tree.”

I found myself helping and connecting with folks who were homeless or struggling to make ends meet like most of us. When you hear the word homeless, what comes to mind? Perhaps an individual in need of shelter, food and maybe money to help them along the way. I felt in some ways that the majority of these needs were being met, however one thing was missing… Footwear! From shelter to shelter, one corner to the other, the majority of homeless people walk to get to where they’re going.

I know that a pair of shoes is not the solution to the problem of homelessness, but maybe it is the solution to the beginning of a movement to raise awareness and to begin to build a more caring community. What do we want as a society and what do we need as a society? And that’s what I am striving to change; the mindset that we have adopted over time that has disconnected a lot of us from engaging with the real world. Mack’s Soles services in the Greater Boston Area and is always collecting donations all year round."