Sole Hope: A gift for you, 100+ pairs of shoes, and me!

Posted on March 18, 2013 by givetoday

I’m beyond excited to share these 3 great things about Sole Hope today. So instead of making you read 3 separate posts, here they are. Keep scrolling!

Sole Hope is celebrating their 3rd birthday! You know how most people GET birthday gifts? Not the awesome folks at Sole Hope. They are GIVING a 33% discount (code below) in their store, until the end of March. Shop away, my friends!

Remember how Fancy Little Things devoted a month to hosting Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Parties, raising donations & awareness? Read first-hand from some of the participants over at the Fancy Little Things Blog about how they are making a difference. {Spoiler alert…over 100 pairs of shoes were cut! Seriously, go read their stories – they are wonderful!}

Fun! I’m featured on the Sole Hope Blog this week. See why I love being a Sole Hope Ambassador! Go read why it has been such a blessing to be out of my comfort zone, and why I’m standing in the middle of the woods…

I have more posts about Sole Hope. Check them out!

Fancy Little Things + Sole Hope

Posted on February 23, 2013 by givetoday

I am so excited to help announce this collaboration…

Fancy Little Things is showing love to Sole Hope for the next month, by encouraging Shoe Cutting Parties, donations, prayers, etc. Head over to Fancy Little Things to read the full post (by yours truly!) and see how you can join in.

Don’t forget to join the Fancy Little Things Community and introduce yourself! We want to get to know everyone who is hosting parties!

I have more posts about Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Parties (and other Giving Parties). Check them out!

A “Sole-ful” Brunch…a Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party

Posted on January 28, 2013 by givetoday

As a Sole Hope Ambassador, I was fortunate to help with a Shoe Cutting Party my friend, Wendy, and a few others were hosting at their church, Westgate Church. A “Sole-ful” Brunch, designed for the women of the congregation, to come together, fill our bellies and hearts, and use our hands for God’s glory. It was a time of rest and a time of service.

After watching the Sole Hope video, Wendy offered words of encouragement to not only listen to what God is telling us He wants us to do, but to also go. And do it! For Asher and Dru Collie, the Sole Hope founders, this meant being profoundly touched by the damage jiggers do to children and the community, and starting Sole Hope to end this plight. This doesn’t mean God wants each of us to start a non-profit, but we need to listen. And go. And do. For His glory.

I am so grateful for the women of Westgate Church. Thanks to their compassion, time and effort, over 60 shoes were cut!

60 children will be protected from jiggers!

Women will have jobs and will be able to support their families, thanks to the women of Westgate Church!

Psst, I have more posts about Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Parties…have a look! And see how you can host your own Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party…

Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party with our church family

Posted on October 19, 2012 by givetoday

I have a church crush.

I tell friends (incessantly) and strangers alike about how much I love our church, Grace Chapel. God is alive in this church – in the people, in the worship, in the serving, in the ministries. Want to experience it? Come with me anytime. I’ll save you a seat.

Since Grace is a large church, they encourage deeper relationships through Life Communities. We were able to join one for a few years when the boys were younger, but had to stop when their bedtime changed. So when I heard from our Life Community that they wanted to have a Sole Hope shoe cutting party, I was giddy! Not only do I get to see our church family, but we get to put our hands and hearts to use and create shoes for kids in Uganda!

It was at the end of a very long day, but they showed up. They gave of their time. Their energy. Their financial donations so the women who sew the shoes will be fairly compensated. People stayed late just to make sure we had complete pairs!

We made a goal to complete 10 pairs of shoes in the hour. (Everyone needs a goal, right?) But God is good. We completed 15 pairs! Fifteen children will be protected from jiggers. Women will have jobs and an income to feed and care for their families.

All this in about an hour.

Thank you Sole Hope for delivering these shoe pieces to Uganda. It gives me such great joy to know these shoes will protect children and provide jobs.

Thank you friends for your incredible generosity and hard work.

Want to host a Shoe Cutting Party? Email me (givetodayblog@gmail.com) and I can help get your started!

Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party (first of many!)

Posted on September 24, 2012 by givetoday

After hearing about Sole Hope and reading about Nat @ Take the Cannoli’s Shoe Cutting Party, I immediately knew I wanted to get involved. I’m honored and humbled to be a Sole Hope Ambassador, spreading the news about the need, the cause, and how we can help. One way to help? Host a Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party. Every pair of shoes you cut is sewn into a pair of shoes for a child to protect their feet from jiggers. Every pair provides a job and income to someone in need who was trained to sew the shoes. Every pair changes lives.

To prep for the party, I went on a hunt for fabric. My mom offered up everything in her fabric chest. So generous!

As an aside, I uncovered some gems! Yes, these are vintage late 70s/early 80s patterns. I had some awesome homemade clothes.

The day before the party, I traced the shoe patterns onto cardboard for templates, and traced a few patterns onto denim and fabric to help get us started.

But shoes are not created on their own. I am blessed with some amazing friends who came ready and willing to help. We all have young kids. The thought that there are children who are suffering from jigger infestations because they do not have shoes, touched all of us.

And we traced. And we talked. And we cut. And we laughed. And we safety pinned. And traced. And we ate. And cut some more.

Sometimes you have to switch from cutting fabric to cutting your friend’s hair. See? It’s fun to sit around with friends, chat, laugh, all while cutting shoe patterns and giving back.

7 friends. Nearly 3 hours. 17 pairs of shoes cut! My heart is overflowing with joy. 17 children will have shoes!

May the children whose feet these shoes will cover be blessed.

May they know how much they are loved.

May the hearts and lives of those sewing the shoes be transformed.

Want to help send these shoes to Africa? Donate to Sole Hope here.

Want to host a Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party? Order a shoe party packet here and for more info email Ashley at Ashley@solehope.com.

Live in the Boston area and want to have a Shoe Cutting Party? I’d love to help you out! Seriously. I would love to help you host, answer questions, whatever you need. You don’t need to have a huge group to make a difference. Email me at GiveTodayblog@gmail.com

Shoe cutting parties for Sole Hope – organize one today!

Posted on July 18, 2012 by givetoday

Who knew God could speak to me through Twitter. No, it didn’t read: @letsgivetoday check out @solehope, love God #seriously,listentomethistime.

It was in the form of a tweet from a friend of a friend about a shoe cutting party for Sole Hope. A what? Literally, a party where you cut fabric for shoes for women in Africa to sew for children. My heart melted and I knew organizing one of these parties was in my near future. Want to see what one looks like? Check out Take the Cannoli‘s shoe cutting party!

What is Sole Hope? Why cut shoe patterns and teach others to sew those patterns for children in Africa?

Along the way, we realized we could not only help African children, but we could help African men and women by teaching them a simple trade—how to make shoes. And so we began. Then we realized we could teach others—homeless, unemployed, recovering addicts, and nonprofits—how to make shoes, so they could earn a decent living and raise funds for their causes. So Sole Hope is touching lives in the U.S. and Africa, and we’re only getting started!

What can you do to help?

Organize a shoe cutting party! Email Ashley@solehope.com for more details on hosting and organizing a party.

Gather materials to help with Sole Hope’s Foot Washing and Jigger Removal efforts. They need:

Bar Soap
Sharpies
Large Safety Pins
Surgical Gloves
Cotton Balls
Medical Razor Blades
Medical Tape
Antibiotic Cream
Gauze
Band Aids

Mail them to: Sole Hope, PO Box, 1492, Asheville, NC 28802

Honestly, how much do Cotton Balls or Sharpies or Band Aids cost? This is a low-cost, little effort, but very thoughtful way you can show love to and make a change in the lives of many.