Today’s blog post is from Soles4Souls’ CEO, Buddy Teaster:
I’m often proud of the work we do with all of you. Soles4Souls is and has been a vehicle for tens of thousands of people to find their own ways to make a difference in the world. That’s just a great feeling.
But yesterday was a different way of making a difference. Soles4Souls hosted a group of Nashville organizations and individuals who focus on Haiti. For a city that is only the 25th largest in the US, we have a tremendous number and diversity of groups dedicated to having a big impact there. From those focused on children and orphans (Hands and Feet Project, MyVoiceSpeaks, Restore Haiti) to agriculture (KORE Foundation and Mission Lazarus) to medical (Live Beyond) to our commitment to micro enterprise, I was blown away at the passion and creativity that goes into helping Haitians solve their own problems.
At the same time, as the new guy in town, I was surprised by how little we all knew about each other. This is a small city and yet many of the people in attendance were meeting each other for the first time. It was another reminder of the power of dialogue and cooperation, of breaking down barriers and sharing the good, bad and ugly of what it often means to work in the developing world. For example, we had one group that had a house with way more space than they need that connected with an orphanage more than busting at the seams. Boom, problem solved for these two organizations and dozens of children in Haiti.
