The Season for Giving: TOMS Gift Guide

"Giving is what fuels us; Giving is our future." - TOMS Founder Blake Mycoskie

You may be familiar with TOMS shoes and their policy of donating a pair of shoes to a needy person in a developing country for every pair of TOMS shoes sold. The company's founder, Blake Mycoskie, calls it a "One for One" policy. TOMS has donated over 600,000 pairs of new shoes to children in need through giving partners around the world.
 

It is difficult to imagine the daily hardships faced by children who do not have shoes; these hardships which go way beyond the obvious and can have life-altering or life-threatening consequences. For instance, many countries will not permit children to enter school unless they have a pair of shoes, which means having no access to shoes can equate to having no access to education. Also, children in Third World countries who go barefoot are prone to getting soil transmitted diseases which penetrate the skin through bare feet, so being barefoot is a serious health risk as well.

So this holiday season, when you are buying gift for family and friends, consider buying one of these fabulous TOMS products and, when you do, you'll be simultaneously giving a gift to a person in need.

Here are some fantastic TOMS gift ideas:

TOMS Shoes: Of course, TOMS is famous for their signature shoe. The Glitter shoes below are especially fun for the holidays. Also, many stores have artists who come in to paint TOMS shoes with original designs, gratis, for shoes purchased at a painting event; a pair of TOMS shoes embellished with original artwork makes for a fabulous gift, too.

TOMS Sunglasses: Mr. Mycoskie has expanded his "One for One" policy to include a new line of TOMS sunglasses.  Using natural materials with hand painted accents, the eyewear is extremely fashionable. For every pair of sunglasses sold, a pair of eyeglasses will be provided to someone to save or restore their vision.  A pair of TOMS sunglasses would make a great holiday gift, too!

TOMS Book: Mr. Mycoskie has written a book entitled Start Something That Matters.  Available on Amazon, this book offers inspirational reading with profits going to the "One for One" movement.  A great holiday read.

TOMS Gift Pack:  This great gift pack contains a $50 gift card for TOMS.com, a DVD of a documentary about the company and a TOMS poster. It's also offered at a great price of $50, which means the poster and DVD are basically free. Check it out here.