Lofty Matters

Final countdown to Thanksgiving. Is this a big holiday for you and your family? I think this may be right up there in the “top two” for us. I mean really…food and counting our blessings surrounded by family…what could ever be better? We’ll be kicking it into high gear this week and counting our blessings all the way!

Ready for some good news?

Share Your Soles Helps Used Shoes Go the Extra Mile in Poor Countries

Mona Purdy, a Chicago hairdresser, knows how a pair of used shoes can change the lives of poor children.

The beginning of it all was ten years ago when Purdy participated in a race in Guatemala. Local children put hot tar on the bottom of their feet for protection and ran along the side of rocky course.

Volunteers help sort the shoes that arrive at the 400,000-square-foot warehouse in Illinois.

Purdy has collected and distributed 900,000 pairs of used shoes over the ten years. She is now the executive director of this charity.

Having reached the 10-year anniversary of Share Your Soles, Purdy would like to become a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. She also wants to apply for federal grants to increase the charity’s $975,000 annual budget.

Tallest Man Unveils Largest Gingerbread Cookie

The world’s tallest living man has unveiled the world’s largest gingerbread man in Oslo, Norway.

Sultan Koesen, of Turkey, is 8 ft. 1 in. tall and is displaying the 1,435-pound cookie proudly.

The cookie was baked in Oslo and is the traditional gingerbread-man shape. It pushes out the previous gingerbread cookie record of 1,307 pounds, which was set in 2006 in Smithville, Texas.

Koesen was declared the tallest living man by the Guinness Book of World Records in September, 2009.

Philanthropist Wages Fight to Cure Autism

Autism Speaks was founded by philanthropist Suzanne Wright and her husband Bob in February 2005 and has become the largest autism science and advocacy organization in the United States. The foundation actively funds research about autism and also advocates for people with autism and their families.

The Wrights started the foundation when their grandson was diagnosed with autism.

On October 14, Autism Speaks hosted “Autism Speaks to Wall Street: Third Annual Celebrity Chef Gala.” Renowned chefs were invited to prepare a dinner with one chef for each sponsored table. There were four courses. After the dinner, there was an auction to raise money for autism causes.