Nelly’s “Dancing With the Stars” shoes got him plenty of attention when he participated in the most recent season of the reality competition series, and now he’s using his custom-made shoes for good. After finishing in third place, the rapper has no use for his dancing shoes and will be donating them to charity.
Nelly will be sending his shoes to The Teen Project to be auctioned off, TMZ reports. According to the outlet, the Grammy winner will be donating at least 10 pairs to the organization and the entire collection that he wore while dancing on the show is expected to bring in a total of $50,000.
The rapper has partnered with The Teen Project, which focuses on helping victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) and young women avoid homeless or incarceration by providing them with resources and support.
Along with the $50,000 that the shoe collection is expected to bring in at the upcoming auction, thanks to Nelly’s efforts in raising awareness for the cause, the organization is also anticipating an additional $30,000 in donations to come in this week.
The “Hot In Here” rapper has reportedly helped the organization raise $820,000 overall this year, which is $300,000 than the money they raised in 2019. He has also been raising funds for Vera’s Sanctuary. The sanctuary is a rehab facility that The Teen Project operates to help victims of sex trafficking. Sources told TMZ that the money that Nelly has raised is already being used to send women who have stayed at Vera’s in the past to college.
Nelly’s shoes became fan-favorites on the competition show and week after week he surprised viewers with his custom-made designs. He worked with Dominic Ciambrone, who is known as The Shoe Surgeon, to create sneakers that also functioned as professional dancing shoes. Season 29 of ABC’s hit show ended last week, and even with his impressive shoes, Nelly couldn’t dance himself into the top spot. The rapper and his partner Daniella Karagach came in third and fans took to Twitter to express how unhappy they were with the results.