Every so often in our blog we like to discuss somebody that we come across who is doing incredible things. It might Abebe Bikila, who completed a marathon with no shoes on, or Sam Jalloh, who as we write this is in Africa on a trip to inspire future generations, taking over 200 pairs of our kindly donated shoes along the way. The world is full of people who are all doing amazing things to inspire current and future generations, making change for good and offering hope. Well in this article we cover the story of somebody who is doing just that.
Kenton Lee is a man we are yet to meet, but one we sincerely hope we can one day. He is the master mind behind ‘The Shoe That Grows’, an adaptive piece of footwear designed to adapt in size along with the growth of children’s feet in underprivileged environments.
After graduating from college, Kenton left the US for a trip to Nairobi, Kenya, living and working at a small orphanage. One day he noticed one of the orphans walking alongside him, with her toes sticking out of the end of the shoes, this was the ‘aah haa’ moment. It sparked a question in Kenton’s mind, what if there was a shoe capable of growing just like these children do?
After 6 years of research, testing and development, Kenton and is friend successfully created a shoe that can grow up to 5 sizes and last for years. Together, they created the Because International non-profit organisation as a means to get these shoes on as many children as they could.
Since its inception, Kenton remains a fulltime employee of Because International and have helped distribute over 100,000 pairs of shoes to children in over 90 different countries. If you would like to find out more about Kenton, Because International, or The Shoe That Grows, click here.
We are inspired by Kenton’s innovation and commitment to helping children around the world put their best foot forward.