For those of you that have followed my blog for long, you have learned that the children of Haiti have stolen my heart. Recently I had the pleasure to speak with the founder of REBUILD globally, Julie Colombino, who is helping the kids of Haiti with the Impact Shoe. If you have ever been to Haiti or even seen pictures you would see that the terrain there can be rather difficult. Since the earthquake in 2010, much of the infrastructure has been reduced to rubble. It is not uncommon for the children of Haiti to walk great distances. Sometimes a couple of miles of rough mountainous terrain each day to attend school. Shoes donated from countries around the world do not always provide the wear they need. Shoes bought at the dollar store, or hand-me-downs might last in countries with roads and sidewalks, but not where rocks and debris make your path. Orlando-based nonprofit, REBUILD globally, announces a groundbreaking initiative to tackle the root causes of poverty in Haiti with a revolutionary new product: a school shoe made from re-purposed and recycled materials that enables children to pursue their education. It is estimated that 50% of the children of Haiti do not attend school due to costs. Costs of not only the school, but also the uniforms, and shoes. To solve this and other problems, REBUILD globally created a Haitian for-profit company named deux mains designs. As a nonprofit organization fighting poverty, REBUILD globally felt that by creating a local business in Port-au-Prince, that gives […]

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Growing up I heard that I had  “mighty big shoes to fill” quite often. Many people grow up thinking they want to be like someone else. Whether we are trying to follow the footsteps of our father, or in my case grandfather or some other person we want to be like. The shoes we long to fill seem unobtainable and never the right size or fit. Shoes are usually pretty personal, I don’t know too many guys that share their sneakers with their friends. Yet we spend much of our lives trying to fill the shoes of others before us. We spend our childhood looking up to others. It could be a family member, friend, or even a church or community leader. Hoping to be like them, we change who we were born to be. Sometimes we spend such an effort to be like someone else we begin to forget who we really are. We might talk differently, hang out with an unusual crowd. Maybe we work at places that challenge our morals, all just to be like someone else who we think has it all. I’ve got big shoes to fill. This is my chance to do something. I have to seize the moment. ~ Andrew Jackson All the meanwhile we ignore God’s design for our own lives. Getting consumed by the expectations of others we fail to see our creators fingerprints and true beauty. Forgoing our own destiny we chase after dreams, fancy clothes and fast cars trying to fill a void we […]

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