From Where I Stand: Shoes that Give Back
It’s that time of year. The one where the leaves begin turning and crunching underneath my feet, and cooler weather rushes in and the forecast calls for jeans and flats, sweaters and boots. This is my favorite time of year. It feels like once Halloween hits it’s all busy and celebrations from there. A’s birthday hits, then Thanksgiving, that our wedding anniversary, and then comes time for Christmas and New Year’s. The days are shorter but my heart seems fuller and maybe a little bit more excited for the celebration upon us. I mean, that’s a whole lot of celebrating in a two month time period. This year is even more exciting since we’ll be doing all the celebrations for the first time in our new home.
Even in the midst of the excitement my heart always been a bit towards thinking about others and giving. I have a blessed life. I really, really do. I see it every single day in the moments big and small. And during this time I regularly think about how much that should not be taken for granted. My heart goes to those that are serving who might not make it back for the holidays, or the love ones that might just be missing somebody that has or is currently doing so. With Veterans Day tomorrow, I can’t help but be so thankful for those that serve regularly or have served putting their boots on the ground, or risked their lives in the sea or air, doing something braver than I could ever do. Without those people making the sacrifice that they make or have made I know that I wouldn’t be living the life that I do right now. Their sacrifice is far greater than I could ever give. As I sit here in my cozy house I can’t help but think about not only the veterans or those currently serving, but the women that don’t have a cozy home because of whatever life threw their way. The idea that they willl be celebrating their holidays in the shelter, maybe with their children or without. How I wish I could make it so everyone could feel a bit cozier this holiday season. I can’t help but think about how different life is for so many people around our country, even around our world. Different sacrifices being made that we don’t usually give a second thought to.
If you know me very well, you know I’m not a fashionista and shopping isn’t the top of list when it comes to my favorite things to do. Some of my favorite shoes I have had for well over 5 years. I’m practical when it comes to purchases and when it comes to wants versus needs and if I have some perfectly good shoes I’m not bound to go and purchase another pair because they are cute. Something I do enjoy though is paying it forward. And I don’t even have to tell you how much I love small businesses.
Last month I was introduced to a small shoe company by the name of Kallie Shoes. I connected with the marketing manager, Sierra who is super sweet, and conversed back & forth about what the business was all about and I really started to fall in love with what the company is all about. They have well made, beautiful shoes and what makes me love them even more is they are all about giving back. They are a little company wanting to make a big difference. The owner, Nadia, is a Semper Fi wife herself who knows the sacrifice that our military gives every single day, which is why she has chosen to donate 10% of every sale to the Semper Fi Fund. You can learn more about the Semper Fi Fund here. The short version is: Semper Fi Fund programs (housing assistance, service member & family support, Education and Career assistance, and so much more) help members & their families of Marine, Sailor or other military personnel assigned to Marine Forces, injured in post 9-11 combat or training, or facing a life threatening illness. They also have a division called the America’s Fund which helps service members from all branches of the military- Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Pretty powerful stuff. I love seeing so many programs out there to assist those who serve our company and companies like Kallie Shoes that help fund their causes.
On top of the 10% to the Semper Fi Fund, on Fridays they now offer an additional 10% to the Semper Fi Fund, and this donation is continuous. Red Fridays are something that military families especially are familiar with as wearing red on Friday is to be symbolic of your deployed troops. That will continue so long as troops are deployed.
Really neat, right?
Even better in 2015, not only will Kallie Shoes be offering the donation to the Semper Fi Funds but they will also be donating shoes to Women’s Shelters. For every purchase made a pair of equal value shoes will be donated to a women’s shelter. Previous seasoned shoes that were not sold will also be donated to shelters! How neat is this company?! As they build their list of Women’s Shelter to donate to they are asking customers and site viewers to help them find shelters that need help. You can submit a local shelter near you that you think could benefit via their site under “Kallie Shoes Gives Back.”
Currently, Kallie Shoes is a small company wanting to make a difference in places of near and places near and dear to their hearts and are looking for affiliates that love their product and their mission to help spread the word. Next year they will also be launching their Girl’s Line that will offer toddler and youth sizes – I can’t wait to snatch up a pair for A. I am currently loving my Meredith shoes that I got from them. They take a little breaking in like any dress shoe. That could totally be a personal thing though, I had different break-in wear on both feet, so they might need any breaking in for someone else. These Meredith shoes are they are darling and versatile, they go with boot cut jeans, skinny jeans and would go great with a skirt in the summer time. Not to mention, customer service is wonderful – fast and efficient.They want to make sure you love the shoes you are wearing. I feel like the price for all of the shoes on the site are affordable which makes me feel even better about getting new shoes! They now offer Free Shipping on all purchases, as well. I know ordering online sometimes stresses me out because shoes and other items tend to vary from brand to brand but I’ll give you a tidbit to make your anxiety a little less – I, personally, feel like these shoes fit true to size. If you are nervous they might be too snug order a half size up and worse case scenario, a few cotton balls in the toes works wonders. Ultimately, if you are looking for some fall new fashion, or you have a fashionista on your gift list – you won’t regret checking out Kallie Shoes – you will look super cute in them and you can feel good because your purchase is giving back to areas that really need the help. It really doesn’t get any better than that.
Hop over to Kallie Shoes and see what they have to offer! Make a purchase or stick them on your holiday wish list, you won’t regret it. If you are interested in teaming up with Kallie Shoes to help their mission, help them grow and help more people – you can also join their affiliate program!
I received my shoes complimentary Kallie Shoes for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Post contains affiliate links.
