You probably already know about TOMS, the shoe company that was one of the early standouts in the each-one-reach-one movement, donating a pair of shoes to a person in need for every pair purchased by consumers. Perhaps you even own a pair or three of the casual shoes. Now, TOMS is partnering with animal conservation organizations around the world to donate a portion of proceeds to protection of endangered species.
The philanthropically-focused company hopes to drive attention and fundraising energy toward several non-profit agencies, the first being The Virunga National Park to help support Silverback mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo that are targeted by poachers and are victims of habitat destruction. There are only about 900 of these majestic creatures left in the wild. A new limited edition shoe has been launched for the program, vegan Earthwise classics with the park’s logo embroidered on the side.
Other Virunga National Park projects include an elephant program, a bloodhound initiative training highly skilled dogs to help discover poachers in the wild, a fallen ranger program to help the families of the surprisingly high number of park rangers killed, and region-specific conservation efforts. Find out more, and consider making a donation via your hip footwear or directly.
Change by Doing 