a sole for every soul? Sold !!

There are times when I randomly come across something during my routine work day that touches me and makes me take a step back and think. I came across TOMS Shoes and it left me deeply surprised. Deeply moved. Deeply amazed at the way someone gives back to the needy and justifies their place on this earth. Deeply guilty at insignificance of my own existence.

TOMS Shoes is derived from 'Shoes for Tommorrow' that came into inception when Blake Mycoskie had an epiphany on a trip to Argentina after competing the famous reality show - The Amazing Race. He was disturbed by the poverty in the country and the number of children who were running around on the streets without any protection for their feet. The pitter patter of their bare feet left an impression on Blake and he founded a company that runs on a simple yet profoundly brilliant and unique business model that connects the regular consumer population to a cause that needs the attention.

"Buy one pair of TOMS, and we donate a pair to a needy child somewhere in the world." Yes, it really is as simple as that and it works. A win-win in every way possible.

In their first year of inception, i.e. 2006 itself, they completed a "shoe drop" of 10,000 pairs of shoes to children in Argentina. They second "shoe drop" in November 2007 was for children in South Africa with a whopping 50,000 pairs of shoes. They are aiming to do their next "shoe drop" in the United States.

And these shoe drops are personally enriching experiences for the TOMS crew members who make the trip. An Official TOMS Blog blogger discusses one of the first deliveries on the South African drop: “She watched and eyed the bright pink pair of TOMS I had in my hand. Her little black foot was sweaty from wearing an old holey pair of shoes, too small for her feet. I slipped the shoe on her foot, but it was tight. I could see she was surprised when I told her, I was going to get a pair that fit her. I reached in my bag and pulled out the next size up which I slipped on her feet. They fit and a big smile appeared on her beautiful face. I stood up handed her the old shoes and gave her a big hug. I held her and thought: This gift of TOMS to this child is an even greater gift to me...”

A sole for every soul? Sold !!

Source: TOMS website, Wikipedia, TOMS fan and employee blogs