Blake Mycoskie, Creator of TOMS Shoes to speak at USF
Elizabeth Haley
Issue date: 3/3/10 Section: News
You have probably seen the posters around campus featuring the young, curly-haired guy sitting amongst piles of shoes. That is Blake Mycoskie, creator of TOMS Shoes. This spring the University of St. Francis will host the entrepreneur and philanthropist.
On Thursday, March 25 at 7:30 pm, the founder and "chief shoe giver" for TOMS Shoes will discuss his ground-breaking business with students and community members in the Recreation Center. Duns Scotus and University Ministry are collecting donations with hopes of purchasing 90 pairs of TOMS shoes to give to children in need in the greater Joliet area. The University Relations department is also encouraging students and faculty to purchase a pair of TOMS Shoes to support Mycoskie's cause.
The Cause-Taking a Step Towards a Better Tomorrow:
Most children in developing countries grow up barefoot where walking is their primary source of transportation. Children in developing countries walk to get food, water, medical care, and shelter without shoes. These children are at risk.
Entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie of Venice Beach, California saw this firsthand while traveling through South America in 2006. After befriending children in an Argentinean village, he discovered they had no shoes to protect their feet. To Mycoskie the solution was simple: get the children shoes. According to the TOMS Shoes website, of the earth's six billion people, four billion live in conditions inconceivable to many. TOMS Shoes is taking a step toward a better tomorrow. Shoes are a commodity a great majority of people in the United States take for granted. Most never even consider what it might be like to live life without footwear. As Mycoskie learned in his travels, shoes are more than an accessory. They serve a greater purpose. Shoes are a crucial part of maintaining a safe and healthy lifestyle.
Inspired to make a difference, Mycoskie founded TOMS Shoes on the simple business model one for one: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need around the world. In honor of the country he was inspired to help, Mycoskie decided to create a shoe line for United States consumers based on the traditional Argentine alpargataa slip-on. Though he initially thought the company would function out of his Venice Beach loft, Mycoskie was soon contacted by Los Angeles retailers Fred Segal and American Rag once they caught wind of his socially conscious line. Made with bright and colorful lightweight fabrics, TOMS Shoes entered the U. S. marketplace in 2006 and have been well-received ever since.
On Thursday, March 25 at 7:30 pm, the founder and "chief shoe giver" for TOMS Shoes will discuss his ground-breaking business with students and community members in the Recreation Center. Duns Scotus and University Ministry are collecting donations with hopes of purchasing 90 pairs of TOMS shoes to give to children in need in the greater Joliet area. The University Relations department is also encouraging students and faculty to purchase a pair of TOMS Shoes to support Mycoskie's cause.
The Cause-Taking a Step Towards a Better Tomorrow:
Most children in developing countries grow up barefoot where walking is their primary source of transportation. Children in developing countries walk to get food, water, medical care, and shelter without shoes. These children are at risk.
Entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie of Venice Beach, California saw this firsthand while traveling through South America in 2006. After befriending children in an Argentinean village, he discovered they had no shoes to protect their feet. To Mycoskie the solution was simple: get the children shoes. According to the TOMS Shoes website, of the earth's six billion people, four billion live in conditions inconceivable to many. TOMS Shoes is taking a step toward a better tomorrow. Shoes are a commodity a great majority of people in the United States take for granted. Most never even consider what it might be like to live life without footwear. As Mycoskie learned in his travels, shoes are more than an accessory. They serve a greater purpose. Shoes are a crucial part of maintaining a safe and healthy lifestyle.
Inspired to make a difference, Mycoskie founded TOMS Shoes on the simple business model one for one: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need around the world. In honor of the country he was inspired to help, Mycoskie decided to create a shoe line for United States consumers based on the traditional Argentine alpargataa slip-on. Though he initially thought the company would function out of his Venice Beach loft, Mycoskie was soon contacted by Los Angeles retailers Fred Segal and American Rag once they caught wind of his socially conscious line. Made with bright and colorful lightweight fabrics, TOMS Shoes entered the U. S. marketplace in 2006 and have been well-received ever since.