Because it has been so incredibly long since my last post, I'm going to try to redeem myself by posting an entry with such wonderful depth and meaning; something I'm truly passionate about. When I first learned of this organization, I could not get enough. I fell in love with the cause, the meaning, the message...and wish I had more time to get my hands wrapped so far around this project that no child would ever have to go without shoes on their tiny, calloused feet again.
Of course I'm talking of TOMS shoes. "One for one" has so much meaning, so much love behind it. Its one of those things that just makes sense. One of those "I should have thought of that"-type organizations. I first saw the TOMS line in a boutique in my town probably three years ago. I went home, looked the shoes up online, and immediately was drawn to the message. Its pretty simple. You buy a pair of shoes for around $50 bucks, and a child in need receives a pair because of your purchase. Its a win-win. Shoe drops are coordinated by the lovely peeps at TOMS several times a year. The shoes go to under-priviliged children--some who have never even owned a pair of shoes. These are kids that are living such poverty that they are prone to disease--so having protection around their feet means the world to them.
So that's when I learned of the message. But it really hit home this summer. I spent my summer in the middle of Mexico. In a great town. And I walked this town, both days and nights in mostly my TOMS. But there was such an intense problem with poverty that every single day I saw children--who had no home except the sidewalks they roamed--selling anything they could to make a few pesos to get them food. Many wore clothing too small, and most didn't even have shoes. I made it my daily mission to give them anything I could that would bring a smile to their faces. Balloons. Balls. Bracelets. Pesos. But mostly food. One night I gave a three-year old a full box of Cheerios and you would have thought I had given him an entire Thanksgiving meal, only to have five more kids run to me to see if I had anything else for them. And as I looked down at my feet every single day, I was reminded that my TOMS--that I had walked miles and miles in--have their own counterparts in the pairs worn by the children that I provided shoes to by purchasing my own. Somehow, we're connected. Children just like the ones that I saw every day in Mexico. And I knew I had made someone's day just a little bit easier.
I see these children's faces every single day in my mind. They are forever engraved in my heart. Their little smiles that would light up their face when they saw me coming. And I admire Blake, founder of TOMS, for making it his mission to help kids just like this face their daily broken world.
Let's all do our part. One for One. TOMS
Of course I'm talking of TOMS shoes. "One for one" has so much meaning, so much love behind it. Its one of those things that just makes sense. One of those "I should have thought of that"-type organizations. I first saw the TOMS line in a boutique in my town probably three years ago. I went home, looked the shoes up online, and immediately was drawn to the message. Its pretty simple. You buy a pair of shoes for around $50 bucks, and a child in need receives a pair because of your purchase. Its a win-win. Shoe drops are coordinated by the lovely peeps at TOMS several times a year. The shoes go to under-priviliged children--some who have never even owned a pair of shoes. These are kids that are living such poverty that they are prone to disease--so having protection around their feet means the world to them.
So that's when I learned of the message. But it really hit home this summer. I spent my summer in the middle of Mexico. In a great town. And I walked this town, both days and nights in mostly my TOMS. But there was such an intense problem with poverty that every single day I saw children--who had no home except the sidewalks they roamed--selling anything they could to make a few pesos to get them food. Many wore clothing too small, and most didn't even have shoes. I made it my daily mission to give them anything I could that would bring a smile to their faces. Balloons. Balls. Bracelets. Pesos. But mostly food. One night I gave a three-year old a full box of Cheerios and you would have thought I had given him an entire Thanksgiving meal, only to have five more kids run to me to see if I had anything else for them. And as I looked down at my feet every single day, I was reminded that my TOMS--that I had walked miles and miles in--have their own counterparts in the pairs worn by the children that I provided shoes to by purchasing my own. Somehow, we're connected. Children just like the ones that I saw every day in Mexico. And I knew I had made someone's day just a little bit easier.
I see these children's faces every single day in my mind. They are forever engraved in my heart. Their little smiles that would light up their face when they saw me coming. And I admire Blake, founder of TOMS, for making it his mission to help kids just like this face their daily broken world.
Let's all do our part. One for One. TOMS
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