Dish-Houston

OH DISHIES! How this pleases the DISH heart! Starting today, August 1stm Houston-based Sun & Ski Sports will mark the sale of its 50,000^th pair of TOMS shoes!  And as you can imagine, there is a HUGE celebration that goes along with it! It's a two-week Back To School Shoe Drive to benefit children at Star of Hope topped off by an August 13th TOMS Shoes Custom Paint Event.  Shoe painting commissions will support promising young artists. As you know, TOMS One for One Movement  matches each shoe purchases with a new pair of shoes for children in developing countries. This has been the basis of what TOM'S is all about.

The CEO of Sun & Ski Sports explains how this particular event is Double Good!!

“This milestone sale directly correlates to 50,000 pairs of TOMS shoes given to children globally through Sun & Ski since the company began carrying the TOMS brand two years ago,” said Barry Goldware, CEO of Sun & Ski Sports, TOMS #1 seller in Texas. 

“During the shoe drive, every customer who brings in a pair of gently worn shoes will receive a Sun & Ski Sports certificate for $5 off a new pair of TOMS shoes.  Shoes will be donated to needy children both locally and globally through the efforts of Sun & Ski and TOMS -- it’s one for one X (times) two, when donors buy a new pair of TOMS as well,” he explained. 

There is always a fun way to bring the community together on top of giving back on August 13th, if you want to decorate your TOM'S for $10 per pair, an artist will paint a custom design on your shoes for you!  The artists, who will receive 100 percent of their painting fees, can paint commissions on the shoe canvas and the paints are water resistant. You will have ONE of a kind TOM'S!

Additionally the collection boxes for gently, pre-owned (or new if you can) shoes appropriate for children to wear to school will be at all five Houston-area Sun & Ski Sports stores: 6100 Westheimer, Memorial City Mall, Katy Mills Mall, 5503 FM 1960 West and 1355 Bay Area Boulevard.

TOMS was founded in 2006 when American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS, which stands for Tomorrows. Mycoskie returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers.  Today the company has donated more than one million shoes to barefoot children to help prevent soil-transmitted diseases and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause; prevent feet from getting cuts and sores that are dangerous if they become infected; and allow children to attend school because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't go to school, they don't receive an education and don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.

Sun & Ski Sports has a longstanding relationship with Star of Hope, having collected more than over 10 tons of clothing in 20+ years to provide warmth to Houston’s homeless, according to Marilyn Fountain, Star of Hope Community Relations.  Through Emergency Shelters and Transitional Living Centers, Star of Hope touches the lives of more than 7,000 different homeless people each year, including more than 1,600 children.  Star of Hope ministers to approximately 1,000 men, women and children every day with food, clothing, shelter, Christian care and structured recovery programs. Sun & Ski Sports outfits enthusiasts who ski, run, hike and bike around the world.  The store’s e-commerce and store addresses are available at  www.sunandski.com.