Sunday, September 27, 2009

Helping the Community with Tom's Shoes

By Tami Starling

Tom's Shoes is best known for holding shoe drops in third world countries, but the last two years have also provided them with opportunities for shoe drops with in their own community; The USA. Opportunities that Tom's Shoes took full advantage of.

Tom?s Shoes was started in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie who wanted to show he could start a philanthropic company while also turning a profit. The idea came to him after visiting Argentina where he befriended local children and learned that they had no shoes. Thus the famous Tom?s Shoes one-for-one motto was born.

Soon Mycoskie realized that even though poverty in the United States didn?t always mean no shoes there is still a great need for children to have shoes that fit and are not warn out. So after 2 years of shoe drops in other countries Tom?s Shoes decided it was about time to have one on its own turf. They got to show the community what the one-for-one motto was really all about.

Equipped with 33 volunteers Tom?s Shoes went to New Orleans to give away over 2,000 pairs of shoes to students at 5 different schools in the area. The crew had no problem reaching this number, and did it all with smiles.

Not only did Tom?s Shoes provide kids with proper fitting shoes, but they also provided them with a creative outlet. When Tom?s Shoes delivers their blank canvas shoes to kids in need they bring markers for the children to decorate their shoes, making them unique and giving meaning to the shoes. Many of the children claimed personalizing their shoes was the best part of they day (other than getting their own pair of Tom?s Shoes of course).

Like Blake Mycoskie you too can help in and outside your community by participating in the one-for-one philosophy. - 2364

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