TOMS: ONE FOR ONE

THE STORY
It's about time that a business model appears absolutely beautiful.  5 years ago, a young Blake Mycoskie traveled to Argentina and was startled to find children with no shoes to protect their feet.  In developing countries, children must walk barefoot to school, to water, and to medical help.  Although Blake may have heard statements like this before, he finally understood what they entailed.  He was suddenly overcome with a strong desire to change grim facts like these.

THE GOODNESS
Blake put a clever and refreshing idea into action that leveraged the markup on fashion items for the sake of goodness.  He immediately created Tom's, a company that would match every purchase with a pair of new shoes for a child in need. The first wave of matching occurred later that year when Blake returned to Argentina with friends, family and staff, with 10,000 pairs of shoes in tow.

Fast forward a few years and Tom's is still rapidly growing.  Their most recent expansion involved the introduction of a sunglasses line with the intent to help Nepalese children with their vision loss.  Those interested in how the proceeds are handled can view their Giving Report in PDF or on Facebook.

We can only hope to see Tom's thrive in this way forever, as the brand will constantly contribute to improving the world for well-deserving, innocent children everywhere.

HOW CAN I HELP?

• Learn more about the Tom's One for One movement here and stay up to date with the brand on their blog.
• Host a screening party
• If its your own living room, your church, your class, or another creative space, request the Tom's documentary on their site and share it with whoever has 
• Buy a pair!
• The shoes are ridiculously comfortable and affordable at around $40+ and come in many fun colors. Click here to browse the vast selection.  
•  The sunglasses price points falls slightly higher (providing sight to a child is a bit more expensive than footwear) if you are in the market to invest in a good pair, they are very chic and durable.  They even offer a chance to try on the glasses virtually! 
• Spread the word!  
• Be on the recommend look-out!  If you overhear your friend's intent to purchase a pair of new shoes or sunglasses, suggest Tom's.  (If you want to put on an aggressive sales hat and this friend is celeb-starved, find out if one of their favorite entertainment personalities have been spotted with the brand here and casually drop the name to them.)
• Tom's includes a brand banner with purchase, encouraging buyers to snap a shot with it and upload it to their site. 
• Simply tell everyone about your own Tom's and how the purchase made you feel- if they copy you, imitation is the purest form of flattery.  
• Host a "Style your Sole" party
• Throw a party to benefit Tom's by inviting friends to come over and decorate the shoes.  All you have to do is order pre-order white shoes 2 weeks before the party (they offer 10% off if you order more than 25 shoes), collect around $44 from each guest, and provide art supplies.  *Momma Alert: This is an awesome idea for a children's party if your in the business of instilling a great, fun lesson to your kid(s)!