Special-edition, Congolese-inspired TOMS Shoes
We're teaming up with Giving Partner Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), an advocacy and grant-making organization founded by Ben Affleck, on two Congolese-inspired designs with an additional give. Read More >>
TOMS x charity: water - An Eyewer collaboration
TOMS and charity: water, an organization founded in 2006 (like TOMS!) that’s dedicated to to helping bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations, join forces for the first-ever TOMS Eyewear collab! Read More >>
Giving TOMS Shoes in the DRC
Founded by Ben Affleck in 2010, ECI is an advocacy and grant-making organization that works with and for the people of DRC, the third most populous country in Africa, and one that struggled under a cycle of violence for nearly 20 years – particularly in the east. Read More >>
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One day in Peru
Author/Giver/TOMS Employee: Vern
Location of Giving Trip: Lima (and surrounding areas), Peru
Host/Giving Partner: Buckner International
Today we visited an area called section # 6. The people who live here have built their homes on the side of the hills. The air is hot and the soil is very dry. There is very little annual rainfall. The luxury is running water, but it is not the case for all houses we see in the area. Many people have taken old boards, and tin to build a shelter to live in.
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Start Something that Matters - Set it Forward
Start Something that Matters, a book by TOMS Chief Shoe Giver, Blake Mycoskie, challenges readers to make a positive change in the world and start a project that matters to them. Students in particular have been inspired by the movement. At the young age of 16, Sara Butler decided to start her own charitable company, Set it Forward, a charity that brings sports to a community in need.
Sara, an avid volleyball player, has always had the drive to make a change. In the past, she volunteered with children, coaching volleyball teams and camps. She quickly realized how organized sports bring communities together and teaches kids crucial leadership and team-building skills. The goal of Set it Forward is to hold camps for kids to teach them how to play, set up a court, and supply the community with volleyballs. Her hope is that she can bring these skills and equipment to children all around the world. To aid this effort, she sells volleyballs on her site, SetItForward.com, and each purchase goes toward providing volleyballs to the children.
While starting her business has been an exciting adventure, it is not without struggles. She is currently in the process of raising money to go on her first trip to set up a camp. Finding venues to fundraise has been a challenge, but with the launch of her website, students have gravitated to the site and are eager to help Sara reach her goal and share her story on social networks. Seeing her company evolve is what keeps Sara motivated.
Sara left the TOMS community with this advice: “Stick up for what you believe in and know that you are able to achieve anything you put your mind to.”
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A Look into How We Give Sight
The loss of sight can have a dramatic impact on a person’s life, affecting a person’s family, and further, the community. We wanted to help alleviate that burden, and contribute to smart solutions to the issue of access to eye care. So we launched TOMS Eyewear, with a One for One give that saves and restores sight to people in need, and contributes to the long-term sustainability of eye care organizations around the world.
Though we don’t claim to be eye care professionals, we do know how to find strong, responsible partners who deliver the One for One promise and are committed to sustainability.
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TOMS is growin’ up!
This Sunday’s May 5th, and those of you partaking in a fiesta are in good company…if we do say so ourselves. That day marks seven years since Blake launched this One for One company in a scrappy little home in Venice, California.
That’s right: TOMS turns 7 this Sunday, and in the midst of our celebration for the movement that’s kind of our baby, we’re realizing that we’ve come a loooong way since the early days.
Since the saying goes, ‘we live in the house we all build,’ we thought it’d be pretty neat to track the growth of the TOMS family through the lens of the humble abodes we’ve called home throughout the years.
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Atlas Genius- “Trojans”
Atlas Genius playing a live set on MTV rocking TOMS eyewear. Whether you’re wailing on the guitar or just catching a few rays, snag some new seasonal shades here: http://toms.sh/109ubT4 (US, AU); http://toms.sh/16zmRr8 (UK); http://toms.sh/165PufA (CA)
