Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to speak at a cool event in NYC called the Community Leadership Awards. This award ceremony was hosted by the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation, a non-profit that harnesses the volunteer efforts of members of the financial industry.
What amazed me about this group of financial planners is that each had their own initiative that personally reflects their passion, and each project was the result of seeing a problem that they wanted to help. The diversity and sustainability of these projects is really inspiring. To me, this is what life is all about… taking what you love to do and applying your skills and passion to helping others.
I would like to highlight a few of really great people that were honored at this event:
Elizabeth Vertarano helped to create a crisis hotline and emergency shelter in Lawrence County, PA for victims of domestic abuse. Since 1981, the shelter has provided women with housing, emotional counseling, and legal and medical advice.
Richard England, Jr has volunteered for the past 15 years with the Latin American Youth Center, a Washington DC organization that services over 4000 low-income families. With the help of friends and colleagues, Richard created a $5 million fund to ensure the organization’s financial stability.
Marc Turner uses his passion for basketball to help inner city kids get off the street. For the past 16 years, Marc has served as a part-time coach at the Church Farm School in Paoli, PA. In 2005, Marc mobilized 50 kids to support relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Frank Martin has volunteered for the past ten years mentoring underprivileged kids. In 2001, Frank created DreamsWork Inc, an organization that offers one-on-one tutoring and college scholarships to promising students.
I also had a fantastic conversation with Rance Crain, the President of Crain Publications, about my vision for TOMS, and I think he became a believer. We joked about the fact that I was featured in Advertising Age’s top 30 under 30 several years back when I was running Reality Central Cable Network. Rance also invited me to speak at his IDEA Conference later this month which I am really excited about.
Bill Bisson, the group publisher and editorial director of Investment News was very supportive as well, and several people told me later in the night that Bill was talking about coming to work for TOMS. While he was obviously kidding, hopefully he will join us on a shoe drop sometime soon.
At the end of this event, participants were given an opportunity to help sponsor a volunteer on a future Shoe Drop. I would like to thank everyone that contributed… we are EXTREMELY excited to find out how much money was raised! Fingers crossed ☺
Last but not least, I would like to thank everyone at Invest in Others that that helped make this event possible. Thank you Kandis for your very kind words! Allison and Stephanie: You guys planned an INCREDIBLE evening. I would be honored to take part in future events!
Rance Crain (President and Editorial Director, Crain
Communications Inc), Me, Jim Pavia (Editor, InvestmentNews), Suzanne
Siracuse (Publisher, InvestmentNews), Kandis Bates, (President, Invest
in Others Charitable Foundation)
I am going to assume that everyone has heard enough bad news the past few weeks. If it is not a financial conundrum, it is a moral one, and with increasing anxiety and division as we approach Election Day, I personally needed a break.
Unitl yesterday, our giving efforts have focused on countries like Ethiopia, South Africa, and Argentina. Without a doubt, the most frequently asked question I receive since I started TOMS has been, "What about kids in the U.S.?", which led me to conduct extensive research on the topic. What I found was that most kids, even those living in disaster recovery zones, have access to a pair of shoes. However, the disclaimer I found with that fact is that almost all their shoes are hand-me-downs that often fit improperly and sometimes, they are required to share shoes among several siblings. What stood out the most in my research was how difficult life could be for these kids -- many still living in FEMA trailers while their homes are rebuilt -- and that rarely a day comes when they can just have fun.
Our growth at TOMS Shoes has come in part through parties called Style Your Sole, where participants spend an evening -- from summer camps to college nights to 40th birthday parties -- designing their own TOMS Shoes and sharing the story of our One for One movement. Each attendee starts with a white pair of shoes and customizes them with art supplies, knowing that not only will they end up with a creation all their own but a child somewhere in the world will be receiving a pair of shoes on their behalf. These parties are tons of fun, and I thought they could be the perfect fit for the children I read about living in our country's disaster recovery zones. How perfect for the children to not only receive what might be the first pair of shoes that are truly theirs, but to be able to express themselves on those shoes. Their new shoes aren't just new, they belong to them in every aspect.
The first lady and I at the White House
Me, the First Lady, and my Mom, Pam
The East Room, where the presentation was held
Me with Katherine Kennedy and friends
Elliott Bisnow and his mother Margot with my mom Pam and I
Facebook co-founder Sean Parker and I
