TOMS Shoe Blog
http://www.toms.com/blog/node/786
March 30, 2010
The parents are out of town. Blake is off inspiring students nightly while telling the TOMS story on college campuses, and our 2nd in command, Candice, departed this weekend to Rwanda.
Candice has been our “Shoe Glue” since she came on a few years ago and spends a lot of time in the field talking to partners and bringing back moving stories about the communities we have an impact on every day.
Her latest adventure takes her to Rwanda with the Bridge2Rwanda team to give shoes to vulnerable children in a region home to 100,000 genocide orphans, where children are at risk of soil-transmitted diseases. Early this year, we connected with a young fellow named Kris Allen – you may have seen him win that kinda popular show American Idol? Not only was he pumped about the One for One mission (and an owner of several pairs of TOMS), he wanted to bring Bridge2Rwanda and TOMS together.
From her emails since she’s departed, we’ve learned Candice doesn’t agree well with airplane food, “Thank You Liz for the insane Kale Chips that are feeding me 10 hours into travel!! (Airplane food and I are not friends…)”, she’s keeping up on her documentaries, “Just watched a friend’s yet-released documentary on malaria. Lots for us to learn. Best part? We can stop it by 2015! You and me!! Stay tuned.” and their bus driver in Rwanda has an undeniable affection for Kenny Rogers, “Our driver LOVES Kenny Rogers. We’re rocking out to The Gambler.”
Candice on a South Africa Shoe Drop in ‘07
We’re eager to hear C’s updates and think it’s time you guys get to meet her and hear her stories too. Stay tuned on Twitter (@TOMSshoes) for updates on the snacks she’s eating, the music she’s listening to, and of course – the amazing children she meets and the stories they share when Candice hands them a sturdy pair of brand new shoes.
About Bridge2Rwanda
Bridge2Rwanda is a charity that supports the development of a “think tank” to encourage and facilitate research and advocacy for enterprise solutions to poverty in Africa, connects and encourages partnerships with Rwandan universities and local African entrepreneurs, and establishes training programs to teach promising young Rwandans to communicate using English and computers.
3 Comments
All I can say is thank you!
What shoes are good for working in wet conditions?
In the summer I do landscaping cutting grass, and we start early.
Thanks to the Bridge2Rwanda, as for the shoes fine but how sustainable is that project? or what is being done so that such children will get new shoes after those are worn out? However that is good starting point.