CGI 2008

A few colleagues and I attended the annual Clinton Global Initiative conference in NYC earlier this month, and there are some really exciting things to share! At the closing Plenary Session, Former President Bill Clinton announced that TOMS Shoes will give 100,000 pairs of TOMS shoes to Haitians affected by Hurricane Ike as a key part of a larger giving commitment.

We are partnering with some really prestigious organizations and people on this initiative, who will be providing 20,000 families food every month; supplying 36,000 farmers with seeds, fertilizer, and training; providing five million liters of clean drinking water; rebuilding thousands of homes; improving education for more than 600,000 students; rebuilding two destroyed bridges; and rebuilding twelve schools.

I can't tell to you how keyed up I am to have TOMS be a part of this project. President Clinton mentioned that, "The losses were so great in Haiti, but the talent and yearning for a better future is also great," and this is what TOMS is about: building a better tomorrow, together.



Those who will be partnering with us include Rene Preval, President of Haiti; Dr. Paul Farmer; Greg Allgood, Director of Children's Safe Drinking Water/Proctor & Gamble; Ray Offenheiser, President of OXFAM America; Wyclef Jean, Founder of Yele Haiti Foundation; Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie; Frank McKenna, Chairman, and Matt Damon, Spokesman for ONEXONE; Richard Roe, President of Open Learning Exchange; Ad Melkert, Under Secretary General and Associate, UNDP; Ronaldo Gonzalez Bunster, Founder of Dominican Republic Energy; Steve Green, The Green Family Foundation; Richenda Van Leeuwen, Founding Board Member of Good Energies; Ted Widmer, Brown University/Director of the Carter Library; Ruth Messenger, Director of the American Jewish World Service; Bill Lowry, Haitian Education Leadership Program; Lisa Hamilton, President of the UPS Foundation; and Dennis O'Brian, Haiti's largest cellular phone provider.