{Organic Wednesday} TOMS shoes

 TOMS shoes have been around for awhile now and they have been catching on in the wedding industry. TOMS philosophy is philanthropic in nature and deserving to be part of my {Organic Wednesday}. To find where TOMS are sold near you click here

 Toms Wedding Shoes

 Red Toms Shoes 

 Wedding party in Toms Shoes

toms shoes

 boy receiving Toms shoes 

In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers.

Why Shoes?

Many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or going to school, these children are at risk:

•A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.

•Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.

•Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.

"We require that the factories operate under sound labor conditions, pay fair wages and follow local labor standards. All factories sign a code of conduct. In addition, our production staff routinely visits these factories to make sure they are maintaining these working standards. We also have third parties audit the factories at least once a year to ensure they adhere to proper labor regulations. For more information: http://www.intertek-labtest.com/services/auditing/intertek_compliance/?lang=en"

Who is Tom? There is no TOM. Our name comes from the abbreviation of “Shoes for Tomorrow”. The original idea was – for every pair purchased today a new pair of shoes will be given tomorrow. This is how the One for One Movement was born.

  www.toms.com