Yard sale benefits family of girl who died

OREM — When 15-year-old Matt Oppel walked into Wendy Olsen's home Thursday, she knew something was very wrong.

Matt, the boyfriend of Olsen's daughter, was crying and upset about the death of good friend Madison Mecum, 13, who had been struck and killed by another 13-year-old girl who was apparently driving her aunt's car.

Soon, other crying friends began arriving at the Olsen home, upset about the death of their friend and seeking comfort.

After learning that the Mecum family had lost their father in a car accident in 2005 and then lost their savings in a Ponzi scheme, Olsen knew she had to do something for the family.

Olsen, who is often known as "The Shoe Fairy," organized the children she fondly calls her "kids" into a small staff to manage a yard sale.

Nine years ago, when Olsen's daughter, Kylee, was in the first grade, Olsen stopped by the class to help out for a few hours. It was there that she noticed one of Kylee's classmate's shoes.

"The seam in the front of them was ripped open, and his toes were hanging out," Olsen said. "This was in February. He didn't want to go to recess because it was cold."

Because Kylee wanted to stay in and keep her friend company, Olsen had a chance to talk with the little boy.

"It looks like you might need some new shoes soon," Olsen had said to the boy. The boy explained that his mother had promised some new shoes for summer. Olsen later discovered that he was the 10th child in a family struggling to make ends meet.

Olsen and Kylee went to Payless Shoes and bought a pair of Spider-Man shoes the boy could grow into and brought them to school the next day. But Kylee didn't want the boy to know who had purchased the shoes. Since Kylee had recently been visited by the Tooth Fairy, she suggested that her mother say the shoes were from the Shoe Fairy.

Olsen told the boy the Shoe Fairy had brought a pair of shoes to their home for her son, who was 2 years old.

"These shoes are too big for him," she told him. "If they fit you, you can have them."

The boy was elated when they fit. Olsen asked for his shoes in exchange, telling him that the Shoe Fairy would take his shoes, fix them up and give them to another child who needed shoes.