Kari's Corner October 8, 2011

Giving New Shoes to Children In Need – Great Charity!

Have you heard about TOMS Shoes? I recently stumbled across this online shoe store that has an incredible foundation setup. For every pair of shoes sold their foundation they give a pair of shoes to a child in need. With my closet(s) full of shoes I should probably stop buying them… however these ones are for a great cause. They even have pink sparkly ones which are right up my alley.

Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes, was a traveler and in 2006 he befriended kids in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Upon further investigation he has also found that some kids have been turned away from schools because of lack of footwear but also that kids are at risk as one of the leading causes of disease is from contaminated soil. These contaminants can easily pass through the feet.

They make everything from your classic slip on loafer type shoe to heels! Pretty much every kind of print you can imagine as well as many Vegan choices for the people who follow that lifestyle.

As of September 2010 they have given over 1,000,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world. That is outstanding! So for every pair of shoes you (or I!!) buy you are giving a pair of shoes to a child in need. How cool is that?

Their company is starting to expand to things like sunglasses. Every pair purchased means someone can get the eye care they need whether it is glasses or cataract surgery.

I’m also happy to say that we have several retailers here in Saskatoon who sell these shoes. Momentum (both locations), The Better Good, Outtabounds, and Escape Sports are all retailers for TOMS shoes in Saskatoon.

Most of the shoes are the slip on variety and as a Saskatoon real estate agent who is constantly in and out of my shoes while showing houses for sale in Saskatoon I can say that these may be ideal work shoes for me. Yes, I am looking to justify a future purchase just a little bit but hey, its for a good cause!

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net