Shoe That Grows

A month or two ago I stumbled across the most amazing thing on Twitter. It was the name that caught my eye: The Shoe That Grows. I started clicking around, intrigued by the very idea of a Shoe That Grows…I mean, is that even possible? I am the mom to fourteen kids. I am nothing if not practical and budget-minded…How revolutionary, if true…What I discovered was so much bigger than shoes for my own children…The Shoe That Grows was designed so children living in poverty in other countries could have a shoe that would last not months, but years.

So I contacted the founder of Because International and asked how I could be involved. 

Kenton Lee has come up the revolutionary idea of a Show That Grows. While I love the idea of this for my own family, Kenton Lee has a bigger vision. He wants to share these shoes with kids in countries where shoes mean the difference between health and sickness. In many countries, going barefoot means risking getting parasites and worms…that can and do lead to sickness and death. 

Apollo loves his Shoes That Grow…and we all know how picky he is about clothing and footwear!

Chuck and I and our teens are world travelers. Between us we have been to: Thailand, Korea, Israel, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Honduras, Brazil, England, Russia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and New Zealand.  Most of those trips have been doing mission or service work. If there is one thing that is certain, shoes are needed in many of those countries. 

What’s so great and innovative about The Shoe That Grows? They really do grow.  These shoes are designed to grow five sizes. The  smallest (which is what Apollo wears) are designed to fit a child for five years. Imagine what that would mean to a child in need of a shoe? I can remember times when my kids were outgrowing their shoes every three to six months! The largest shoes come in an adult size.

I have friends who love the fact that TOMS donates a pair of shoes for every pair purchased. Guess what? Because International donates two pairs of The Shoe That Grows for every one purchased. 

I care about this cause so much, I am participating in a month-long fundraising effort. You can visit my fundraising page here. I am hoping to raise $1,000 this month and have started out my donating $100 myself. 

I have been in contact with Kenton Lee myself, and when I asked how the money donated would be used, here was his answer: 

“The money raised from this program will be used as undesignated funding for Because International.  We will be using it to manufacture more shoes for the very busy summer months.  We would like to order 40,000 pairs of The Shoe.  These will be distributed through partner organizations and donated to small orphanages and ministries.  Our secondary projects that we will fund through these Wear-a-Pair donations will be our second project – The Better Bednet.  And we will hire shoe designers to create a closed-toed version of our shoes (a lot of groups ask for them).