Celebrate the Good (Part 2):
Four Charities Creating Hope
Looking for a little hope in the world right now? We are, too. That's why we wanted to share with you some great things we have discovered around the world that give us hope.
Our mission is to not only make great fashion, but to also inspire you with great people and projects around the globe.
A sustainable world needs people that have a vision that invites all of us to join in in whatever ways we can.
Here, in part two of our "Celebrate the Good" blogs, we want to share with you four charities that have been founded by people with big visions of creating equity, accessibility, and hope.
Join us as we celebrate people with big visions and the bravery to follow through on them, day after day, month after month, year after year.
1. Stop Gap is creating an accessible path for thousands of people with accessibility challenges every day
When life does not go as planned we can be tempted to give up or give in. However, if you are Luke Anderson, you make the decision, over and over again, to decide the kind of future you want for yourself and those who face the same hurdles.
After sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2002, Luke Anderson was suddenly introduced to a world that's not well suited for a wheelchair user.
His frustration encountering access barriers led him to co-found the StopGap Foundation, which raises awareness about the importance of a barrier free and inclusive society. StopGap works with different community leaders across Canada delivering education and resources that inspire societal perspective shifts, the removal of barriers in the built environment, and policy change.
Their iconic brightly painted ramps can be found in more than 60 communities all over Canada, helping ensure our society's collective understanding about the importance of accessibility and inclusion continues to advance and grow.
You can hear Luke share his story with Christal here.
2. Investing in the next generation that leaves no one behind.
Unless your life or family is directly affected by incarceration, you may not have considered the impact of it on our shared future together.
But it has a huge impact.
Amadeusz has a vision of creating a future with equitable access to education and community support for incarcerated youth. And this matters for so many reasons. The future is filled with possibilities for all of us, and is yet to be written. Amadeusz, and other like minded charities around the world, are actively working to help those youth find a path out of the violence and brokenness and build a better world.
Also, check out their podcast, Off the Record, hosted by Amadeusz peer mentors who were previously incarcerated.
3.Soles 4 Souls has helped get 80 MILLION shoes and pieces of clothes to lives that need them.
Throughout the years, I (Christal) have seen many feet like the ones in this photo and known the lives of those who walk in them.
Around the world, shoes are not just a choice, they are a necessity. They provide protection, comfort, and even access to school.
When asked by our customers what to do with their shoes they want to recycle, we always tell them about the work of Soles4Souls.
We believe in their work and the people that join them all over the world.
You can check out their work, sign up for their updates, and support their work with the resources you already have on hand. And you can start today.
4. The Stateless Dignity Project is creating access to basic human rights for stateless people
Here at Brave Soles, statelessness is something that we know all too well. Within our families we have experienced it and still deal with it daily.
Climate change is creating refugees around the world, war is displacing people, and colonization has created generations upon generations of people who have been cut off from access to citizenship rights.
When you are not welcome in a country and aren't able to claim citizenship anywhere, your life is defined by vulnerability. Without access to education or even basic human rights, where do you begin to piece together a path for your future?
Organizations like the Stateless Dignity Project are helping to change that. They are also helping to educate the rest of us around how to speak up and support the cause.
Generous people build a generous world we can all share. It can start with learning about what is out there and how you can get involved.
Let's continue to celebrate the good, together.
xo
