TOMS Blog

With six years’ experience at TOMS, Garett has just about all of TOMS’ short history under his belt. He’s a pretty cool guy who works on our Retail team, connecting with our amazing retail partners across the country. Garett’s also a talker; he loves sharing stories and ideas, so you can imagine how much fun it was hearing him recount learnings from Cambodia on his fifth Giving Trip.

“There’s a tangible difference between a person receiving shoes and a person having their eye sight restored, but what I saw [in Cambodia] tells me that [the emotions involved are] actually not that different,” he said. “Simple interventions can make a huge impact in a person’s life.”

Read on as Garett talks about his experience in Phnom Penh and Battambang with Giving Partners Cambodian Children’s Fund and Seva Foundation.

On TOMS Sight Giving with Seva Foundation:

“One of the kids I was talking to just blew my mind. I asked the child, ‘What was it like when you couldn’t see?’ And he said to me, ‘Well, I just thought [people] either had good vision or didn’t. I didn’t realize that there was a life I could live that would be different.’

“It was kind of just the way life was for him. Hearing that: it’s a jarring, humbling experience; it shifted my understanding of the work we’re doing. 

“Oftentimes, we’re serving a need [for] people who don’t even recognize a need exists. With restored vision, they can live a life with a promising future and so much potential.”

On community empowerment with Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF):

“I am blown away by what Cambodian Children’s Fund is doing in Phnom Penh; they’ve really engaged and become a part of the community. CCF builds trust within the community and then starts serving [the people] in the areas where they see the most need for clean water, education, prenatal care and more. 

That trust allows [them] to serve the people, and most of their [CCF] employees are Cambodian. This empowers Cambodians by providing the resources and tools they need help solve issues in their villages.

CCF teaches the children enrolled in their programs that they can do anything with their lives. So many of them have already overcome the impossible, living on the Steung Meanchey landfill, scavenging to earn money for their family and find food. Their tone and attitude is so positive and warm. There’s hope.”