Published on November 29, 2016 | Last Updated on November 29, 2016

A few weeks ago our local TuesdaysTogether chapter held a meetup to play our part in the Rising Tide Society‘s philanthropy month initiative by giving back to two amazing charities Sole Hope and Soles4Souls. If you’re new around here you might not know this but I lead a local group for creative entrepreneurs here in Houston. We meet on the second Tuesday of every month to discuss a various topics to help us become better business owners but also support one another in the spirit of community over competition. Leading this group has made a huge impact on my life and business over the past year and a half and it was so amazing to organize an event like this to share our time and talents with those in need! 

We asked everyone to bring old jeans and we traced, cut and assembled patterns that will be made into shoes for children in Uganda through Sole Hope. A lot children are barefoot or in sandals and often times exposed to jiggers that burrow into their heels. This is extremely painful and can lead to infectious disease and terrible tissue damage in their feet. I’ll spare you the heartbreaking photos of the effects but I encourage you to check to their website to see how you can help. In a little over two hours we prepared fourteen pairs of shoes that were sent to Sole Hope and a local shoemaker will turn them into close toed shoes. It was such an amazing night filled with fellowship and crafting for a great cause! We also hosted a shoe drive through Sole4Souls to support RTS member and photographer Layla of Le Zu Photography. Over the last month she’s collected over 480 pairs of gently used shoes for those in need. Pretty awesome, right?!

Events like this are a reminder that there is so much more to this than dollars in your bank account or social media followers. It’s all about making an impact. I hope this encourages you to give back your time or talents to those in need this holiday season.

Huge thanks to Sharespace for hosting us! If you’re in Houston and looking for a great place to hold a meetup, workshop or event be sure to check them out!

Photos by Layla of Le Zu Photography.