A Great Idea...and A Great Cause! TOMS Shoes is the sponsor of One Day Without Shoes, which started as a U.S. college campus movement in 2008 and has grown into an event that attracted more than 250,000 participants last year. It is on April 5, 2011, this year.
Mycoskie founded TOMS Shoes in 2006. The company was named TOMS because of its goal to "create a better tomorrow by taking compassionate action today." Mycoskie decided to start a business rather than a charity, believing its prospects for long-term success were greater. "With our One for One Mission," the TOMS website says, "TOMS Shoes transforms our customers into benefactors, which allows us to grow a truly sustainable business rather than depending on fundraising for support." TOMS says the strategy has allowed the company to give more shoes more rapidly and to involve more consumers in the process.
For every pair of shoes sold, TOMS and its nonprofit subsidiary Friends of TOMS donate a pair of shoes to a needy child. The company operates in 23 countries, works with nongovernmental organizations to coordinate distribution and attempts to revisit communities every six months because children will quickly grow out of the shoes they are given. According to its website, TOMS is "a for-profit company with giving at its core."
Mycoskie has been part of the Clinton Global Initiative, a presenter at the TED (Technology, Education and Design) conference and a frequent speaker at corporations and universities. In 2009, TOMS received the Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence, which recognizes companies' commitment to corporate responsibility, innovation, exemplary practices and democratic values worldwide.
Posted by archadmirer (Member # 3142) on :
I wondered how long it would take for this to be mentioned... try not to be the office recruiting zealot, ok guys? Posted by iluvpebblesfeet (Member # 19429) on :
what about the principal selling her shoes to save the school !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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