Blake Mycoskie, the founder and chief shoe giver of TOMS Shoes Inc., will speak on campus through the Delta Gamma Sorority Dorothy Garrett Martin Lectureship in Values and Ethics on Monday.
“In November 2003, Delta Gamma presented the Mississippi State University Foundation a check for $100,000 to establish a lectureship on campus,” Mary Page Billingsley, Delta Gamma VP of Foundation, said. “Blake will be speaking about how he founded TOMS and about his message ‘One for One.'”
Mycoskie, according to his biography on his official Web site, is a 33-year old entrepreneur who lives on a sailboat in Los Angeles.
The TOMS’s Web site says he has created five businesses. His first was a successful national campus laundry service; his second start-up, Mycoskie Media, caught the attention of Clear Channel Media and was bought by them.
The site said Mycoskie also attempted to create the first TV cable channel dedicated entirely to reality programming. His fourth start-up was an online driver’s education school featuring hybrid cars and SUVs.
After a trip to Argentina, Mycoskie sold his business to focus on a new idea: TOMS Shoes.
The site continues saying TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need – what the company calls “One for One.” The idea is to use the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good.
Since 2006, TOMS has given over 400,000 pairs of shoes away to children in need through “One for One.”
Erica Kyle, Delta Gamma President, said that after several chapter members took interest in TOMS, sorority members realized they wanted to expand the project on campus.
“We wanted to draw awareness to the cause beyond simply wearing the shoes to and from class,” she said.
Members have said their hope is Mycoskie and the message behind his shoe company will inspire others as it did them.
“His organization strives to help needy people around the world, so needless to say, Blake is a very generous and thoughtful person,” Delta Gamma member Martha Crowder said. “At the same time, he is an average, laid-back guy who wants to make a difference.”
Billingsley said Mycoskie’s appearance at MSU is a unique opportunity for students, as his stop is not part of a college tour, but an individual trip.
“Blake is a very unique and inspiring individual, and we believe everyone can learn from his story,” she said. “He does not visit colleges often, so this is truly a once in a lifetime experience.”
Disclosure: News Editor April Windham is a member of Delta Gamma.