Shoes for the Shoeless

So TOMS is this great company, that I guess found a couple of years ago. I honestly wasn't into helping children like I am now. Or helping with Poverty, or just missions in general.

Well this great, great, great company was founded by this American guy named Blake, and well he and, I believe, his friend went down to Argentina for some trip and noticed that the children down there didn't have shoes. So he started this company just so he could give these children that didn't have shoes a pair of shoes.

I know, so what makes this company different than all the other companies that give away shoes to the needy?

Well I am glad you asked. TOMS has this great campaign called "One for One." Well it's pretty much self explanitory. You buy a pair of TOMS shoes or any other merchandise that has the One for One by the item then you know that not only are you getting a pair of shoes or a t-shirt, but also you are purchasing a pair of shoes to go to a child that doesn't have a pair.

Which you might be thinking, well why can't I just donate money and let these children have their shoes?

To me, I think it's more than giving children a pair a shoes. When you wear these shoes, a t-shirt, or a necklace, you are telling the story of hundreds of children around the world that don't have shoes. You are adovocating that there is more to life than high-priced, fashionable, uncomfortable shoes (which by the way, these shoes are extremely comfortable). There are people in this world that have it worse than us. Even some of us in the United States.

For me, I love going on mission trips, and well, if I went to a country then to a specific region that TOMS went to deliver shoes. Then while playing with the children notice that they are wearing a pair of TOMS and they see that I am wearing them. You know that like almost a instant connection. What if my purchase gave this child a pair of shoes. I don't think you could get that same feel from other companies. Not tearing them down, but that's why I support TOMS.

So for each pair of shoes bought through TOMS or a retailer of TOMS, you are providing shoes for a child that needs them.

How do they deliver these shoes? Do they just trust an individual in that state or country to handle the shoes and deliver them?

The answer is no. They actually have a group of volunteers that go with them to measure the children's feet and give them the right sized shoe. This event is called a "Shoe Drop." Which if you go to their YouTube page you will see that they just went to Rwanda with a group called RwandaBridge and they even took along with them, Kris Allen, American Idol winner. But watching the video of the shoe drop and smiles on those children's faces just makes my heart go so numb.

We take our life for granted. Today alone, I bought a new pair of TOMS, a new Bible, and I even got food. I mean I don't normally buy this much stuff in one day, but honestly I wasn't probably as happy as those children were in that short video they shot. I mean I was happy cause another child got a pair of shoes and that I was supporting another cause, World Vision by purchasing their Poverty based Bible.
These shoes, they save these children's lives quite literally.

When these children don't have shoes they contract so many diseases. Some of them can't even go to school just because they don't have shoes.

Every year, or even every semester, TOMS has a day of awareness. ONE DAY WITHOUT SHOES. Campuses, offices, churches, and individuals around the United States and the world go one day with out shoes to spread the awareness about the children in other countries and especially the United States. We inform people about the diseases these children and contract by not having shoes. We tell them that most of the diseases are 100% preventable just by having a pair of shoes. Some of us, even plan walks that go up to 3 miles long. Walking barefoot.

So the next time you go barefoot outside or see someone wearing a pair of TOMS think about the children out there in the world that don't have a pair of shoes. What are you going to do about it? Just stand there and hope someone will get that child a pair of shoes for you. Well don't count on it. If we all waited for people to do things for us, then nothing would get done. So check out TOMS website, and maybe even think about purchasing a pair of shoes or a t-shirt.

www.tomsshoes.com

We are apart of a Global Community, so let's help our brothers and sisters.

We Did It!

We did it!!!! Yesterday, the LRA and Northern Uganda Recovery Bill went on the House Floor and you know what? That bill passed Unanimously! It's totally awesome!

It's totally awesome because this bill is going to be on President Obama's desk really soon, and it would be silly for him to veto it, just because in both houses the bill passed unanimously. And it would a 2/3's majority from congress would cancel that veto. Which would totally rock!

Here is a video from Invisible Children's website:
We Did It
Congress Speaks on LRA

We Have Come So Far

Wow! It's so hard to believe how far Invisible Children has come all of these years. Especially since I became extremely active in the organization.

I was able to be apart of Coalition at Shawnee Mission West High School. I was able to help organize our walk, which would symbolize the night commuters and the child soldiers of Northern Uganda. I was apart of the Schools for Schools that fall of 2008. We raised I think about $500 for schools for schools. I am not really sure.

But I do know that since that fall, or even the summer before that I really became interested and stopping this war and giving these children the life they deserve.

Now the spring of 2009, I believe took my obession another step further. Here, this year was my last year of high school and was all about culinary, planning on going to culinary school and opening up my very first cafe/coffeeshop. Even though I believe that's still one of my dreams, it's not as urgent. During this spring, Invisible Children had a rally called "the Rescue." This event took place in 100 cities, 10 countries, and all of us sharing one voice for these unseen children apart of an unseen and unwanted war. We walked in a line holding onto rope symbolizing the children being forced to go to "the bush." We then would stay out until we got rescued by the media and a mogul. While we waited we wrote to our senators and congressmen about this war and giving them a possible solution. Now, it took six days before every city was rescued. The last city was Chi-town, aka Chicago, and there we got rescued by Oprah herself.

Later did we know that at the end of May we found out about a bill that was written by Senator Fiengold and my senator from Kansas, Senator Brownback. This bill was called "The LRA Disarment and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009." In this bill it would require the Obama administration to come up with a strategy within 180 days. In this bill it would also fund the recovery of Northern Uganda and anyother areas affected by the LRA.

This bill came just in time. The end of June came two days in Washington, D.C.. This time was to learn about the war and how it's being affected and also how we can better talk to our government officials. We worked so hard to come this far we didn't want to sound completely ignorant about what we were talking about. But we heard from a delegation from Uganda, the founders of Invisible Children, Resolve Uganda, and the Enough Project. This time was great. I finally got to meet a friend for the second time, a friend I met first on Youtube, then on Facebook. It was great. Absolutely great. That night we got over 30 cosponsorships, and we couldn't ask for a more successful day.

The bill then went to the Senator Foreign Affairs committee and passed unanimously.

Then the bill was to go to the Senate Floor and then it went on hold because of Senator Coburn. We peacefully protested outside his office in Oklahoma City for like alot 2 weeks. Then he released his hold and then the bill passed unanimously.

Then just a couple weeks ago, the bill passed through the House Foreign Affairs unanimously.

Then in the last picture is the agenda for the Floor on the senate tomorrow. As you can see it's on the floor. Ready to be voted on, and then it will be on President Obama's desk for the last signature.

Then it will be 180 days for President Obama to strategize the capture of Joseph Kony.

We have come soo far. I am excited to say that I applied to be a roadie for Invisible Children and hopefully will be honored to be apart of their organization.

Invisiblechildren.com

What Time is it? Time to wait... and wait...

It's officially sent off and now the anticipation awaits. What did I just send in? My Invisible Children Roadie Application for the Fall of 2010. I am really excited, I know that my friends are going to definitely be there for me whether or not I get the position as the roadie.

I was soo excited when I found out that in the fall that the fall tour is not only going to epically awesome with the competition of Schools for Schools, but they just mentioned that they will be sending adovocated from each school that is represented by the different regions of the country. I am sooo excited.

Ha can you tell that I am excited?!?

I have been thinking about this as a decision for a while now and well if I don't get it, I will apply until I do get the position honestly. Unless they tell me flat out that they don't want me as a roadie, which to me would be weird, cause I have dedicated almost the last two years of my life to this cause and others like it. I mean I know that I am needed here, so I guess either way I will be supporting the cause. But how great would it be to be a roadie.

Think about it. Me. Going to schools, churches, anywhere we can get a screening. Tell people about the atrocities going on in Eastern Africa, but not only telling them the bad but also the good. Telling them that we, high school and college age students, have sent more money over to Uganda for education more than the US and the UN combined! How ridiculous is that. Getting people excited about raising money for these children. Living in a van, seeing the world from the eyes of the curious. Excited to see what around the next corner.

I know this is what God wants me to do. I have prayed about this for over a year now, and then some. I think I know, but I do know that God has every right to take it away from me if I loose sight of what this is really about.

So I ask all of you for prayer, that God will guide me to where he wants me to be and go.

"I will go, I will go, I will go, Lord send me, to the world, to the lost, to the poor and hungry, take everything I am, I'm clay within your hands, I will go, I will go Send me." - Starfield, "I Will Go"

We are Community, So Let's Show It!

I love it!

This isn't the first time I have seen bands do this. This. What is this?

Well This is when a band comes to town and asks their fans to bring non-perishable food items and then they donate it all to a local charity.

In the case of the picture, it happened to be Harvesters. This was a picture from the concert of Hillsong United! Yes, the same Hillsong United from Austrailia. I just thought it was really cool how they were doing this and also spreading the word about their I-Heart ministry. Which I absolutely love.

But this isn't the only band I have seen do this. One of my other favorite bands, Switchfoot, does this all the time. I just think it's awesome. I guess just because it shows people how easy it is to be apart of their community just by giving something as cheap as a canned good. (at least for us it's cheap, if we are going to these concerts).

And it's also a great way of advertising a great charity in the area. If there happened to be a fan in the crowd that night then could go online or even talk to maybe a representative from that night. I love it. I hope that more bands will do it, and will continue to do it.

How cool would it be if every concert raised 500 non-perishable food item that came into town. I don't know if they would have to worry about food donations. I mean i know that every penny is appreciated and well spent. But that would just be great for people to start learning it's not hard to be apart of their community that need help.