So Hopeful

My neighbor and friend Linda is just a wonderful gal. She amazes me. On Friday, she hosted a party at her house for her favorite charitable cause Sole Hope. To quote Linda, "YES!! REAL shoes will be made from what we have started. We cut the fabric from patterns made by Sole Hope - which will be matched with rubber soles made from used Bicycle Tires - which will be sewn by Widows (a source of income for them) to make a REAL shoe for the shoe-less (Orphans and others) in two African villages. YEA!"  This was a party not for her to make money, but to do something good for people in need.

 Here she is with all of the supplies set up for us to get cutting the fabric for these very special shoes.

The fabric needs to be cut into specific shapes (both an outer canvas and inner liner) that will then be sent back to Africa and assembled into a wonderful pair of shoes, as Linda so beautifully explained above.

Here I am carefully cutting out my patterns. I was intensely concentrating, so as not to make a mistake. One day the very fabric that I'm holding in my hands will be a protective barrier on the feet of a child desperately  in need of shoes.

Here is my potential shoe material. I was able to cut out enough fabric to make 4 pairs of shoes while I was there. It is really amazing to think about where these tiny scraps of material will go, and the good that it will do. 

This is a pair that was cut out buy one of Linda's kids. You can really imagine just what they'll look like when they become real shoes!

Linda - you are an inspiration! Thank you for all of the wonderful things you do. You make me SO HOPEFUL that the world will be a brighter place because of people like you "sole" sister!