Shoes That Change A Life

I’m on a shoe kick right now and just don’t want to get off it.  We’re going to take a little different tack right now. I’ll give you the hanky alert right now.  There is powerful and heart-wrenching stuff to be seen beyond the links I’m giving you today.

Growing up, I was one of those kids that didn’t really like to go barefoot.  One of my best friends, Emily, is the opposite.  If there weren’t signs saying “No Shoes, No service”, well you can see where I’m going.  We grew up in the country and dirty feet are just part of life.  You washed your feet before you went to bed in the summer if you’d been running through the grass and dirt all day.

Some children just don’t have this luxury.  Going barefoot isn’t a summer ritual; it’s a way of life.  They aren’t running through grassy back yards or river lots.  They are walking on jigger infested bare ground.   These nasty little parasites are more than a discomfort.  Easy prevention: SHOES!

An organization that I have recently become aware of is SOLE HOPE.  You can be personally involved in providing shoes for children in Africa and jobs for otherwise outcast widows.  All you need to do is host a shoe cutting party.  I can’t wait to get a few friends together and do this myself!  Because they are using recycled materials, it’s green as well!

I’ve just finished reading Very Valentine by Adriana Triginani and was fascinated by the whole shoemaking process.  How amazing to think that anyone can DO GOOD in such a simple way!

Want to know more?  Check out SOLE HOPE’s website, follow them on Twitter or on Facebook.

How do you get involved to do good on a local scale or a global one?  Know another organization that DOES GOOD?  Tell me about it in the comments.  I’d love to learn about it.