Rhode Island Man Shares His Experience on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’

Former American Idol Kelly Clarkson has welcomed many guests to The Kelly Clarkson Show since the television program began in 2019.

Episodes have features many famous faces like Sandra Bullock, Woody Harrelson, Kevin Hart, Michelle Williams, Jack Black and Tyler Perry.

In addition to the Hollywood A-listers that take a seat on the couch for an interview (or compete against Kelly in a silly game), many local people, places and organizations from across the country have also been spotlighted.

On Friday, April 4, Clarkson highlighted a Rhode Island nonprofit in her "What I'm Liking" segment.

READ MORE: Rhode Island Nonprofit to Be Featured on "The Kelly Clarkson Show"

RI Man Creates Non Profit for Homeless Youth

Gotta Have Sole Founder and President Nick Lowinger was interviewed by Clarkson to spread the message of his nonprofit.

"The idea behind it started when I was five years old, I went to visit a local homeless shelter to volunteer. I had just gotten a new pair of light-up sneakers, I was all excited to show them off to the other kids," Lowinger said. "I was told by my mom that maybe I shouldn't do that because maybe some kids might not have any shoes at all."

"I saw kids running around barefoot and wearing shoes that were falling apart and it bothered me a lot," he said. "I wanted to do something bigger to make sure all the kids in that one shelter could have new shoes."

The foundation began in 2010 and since then, it has provided shoes for over 125,000 children across the country.

"We still keep our big New England footprint. That's a big part of what we do," Lowinger said.

From New England to New York

Lowinger joined Kelly Clarkson via Zoom for Friday's episode and he shared his experience with Fun 107's MGM Show.

"She was lovely. I love what she's doing with her show especially being able to provide a platform for people like me to speak about the work we're doing," he said. "She was a really special, nice person which was not surprising, but really refreshing."

Where Do the Shoe Donations Come From?

"The footwear comes from a mix of different outlets. People donate money, they host show drives in their communities, school, etc., but we also partner with some amazing brands," Lowinger said. "We're working with On right now and we're hoping to bring on many more footwear brands, too."

"The goal is always to help as many kids as possible. There's so much need, especially right now," Lowinger said.

Since his Friday appearance, Lowinger has heard from people across the country wanting to host shoe drives and help their community, all thanks to the exposure from The Kelly Clarkson Show.

"Having a platform to speak and share a story and inspire people and keep making a bigger impact is always the goal," he said.