As many of you know, Houston was greatly impacted by Hurricane Harvey last week. The world watched in awe as flood waters engulfed our H-town streets. Instead of taking you down memory lane with those devastating pictures, I want to show you how a community came together. I grew up in the Third Ward area of Houston, Texas and in my 30-something years I have never seen our city unite like we did last week. Through tears and sweat, Houstonians put aside any differences and helped each other in a great time of need. Even people out of town traveled our way with big trucks and boats to volunteer and rescue. We became #HoustonStrong.

One event that I participated in was a Hurricane Harvey Relief Drive at MixFitz Studios. MixFitz is a dance/fitness studio founded by Crystal Wall. Her and her husband, local rap star Paul Wall, are very large in the Houston community for giving back throughout the year. I teamed up with some local members of our sneaker community to buy items specifically for this event. What was important to us was that these donations were going directly to the streets to supply people with the resources they needed in a timely manner.

At CNK Daily, we usually incorporate sneakHerStyle with comfort while being on the go. Since I knew I would be helping move supplies, I opted for comfortable kicks. My go-to sneaker has always been a Nike Air Max 90, which is also my favorite silhouette from the Air Max family. I get the support and cushioning my foot needs for long periods of standing. Since this was a special day, it was only fitting that I rock my CNK Daily ‘Magic Year’ Tee. This shirt encompasses our “What Are You Made Of?” mantra and everyone who came out to donate and help that day was definitely made of some magic. The white tee and black tights I chose paired enough simplicity to give my feet the center of attention. Being that I love vibrant hues that add a pop of color, I had to represent in pre-Labor day fashion.

It was all about love and strength - all the way down to my Alex and Ani bracelets. I wore the ‘Tree of Life’ bracelet which stood for hope and growth and rocked the ‘Lotus Peace Petals’ bracelet for resilience and beauty.

The donations came rollin’ in to MixFitz Studios from all sides of the city. Hundreds of people came by to give water, toiletries, baby supplies, non-perishable food items, clothes, and shoes! We may have experienced great loss, but our city is resilient.

Earlier this year, Rihanna, won the Harvard Humanitarian Award. During her speech she noted that people don’t have to be rich or famous to help others. She explained that it just starts with your neighbor. I’m blessed to say that ALL of my close friends put in the time and effort to create or participate in different initiatives helping individuals who lost everything. I’m definitely grateful to our CNK Daily HCIC for putting together efforts from Dallas helping their neighbor. CNK teamed up with Be Great Gear droppin’ a dope tshirt, and 100% of the proceeds go to aid hurricane victims. If you haven’t copped yours, make sure you check them out HERE.

While our shoes are material items, they symbolize places in time, events in our lives, and other memories that we hold onto. It meant so much that others were donating those items regardless of the valuable memories the shoes and clothes once held. All love. And now if you didn’t know, the “T” in Texas stands for TRILL. #HoustonStrong