Eric Torres, of Bridgeport, knows the meaning of hardship. "I was in bad shape before I got a kidney transplant four years ago – but a parishioner at my church stepped up to give me the gift of life, and I will always be grateful to her for saving my life," Torres told News 12. "It was the most difficult experience of my life, coming that close to death, but now I'm standing tall and living my best life," he said. As executive director of Elevate Bridgeport, whose mission is to help teens stay in school and on the right track, Torres is kicking off a shoe drive Monday to support the nonprofit's summer programs. "We encourage folks to donate new or lightly used shoes to help us carry out our mission," he said. "Our goal is to collect 2,000 pairs of shoes so we can help kids one step at a time." To find out more about the shoe drive, contact Elevate Bridgeport at information@elevatebridgeport.org.