Soles4Souls CEO Buddy Teaster is celebrating is 60th birthday like no other — climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, and doing it for his charity. After reaching the summit earlier this week, Teaster has surpassed his goal to raise $60,000 for Soles4Souls.
“Reaching Uhuru peak at 19,340 feet was an incredible feeling!” he reported to Footwear Plus during the climb. “It was another reminder that it takes an incredible team of people to accomplish anything important.” Teaster added that after nine days, he was feeling exhausted but, more importantly, exhilirated by the experience. “I was able to get a message during the climb that I was over the $60,000 goal and that was just as much a thrill,” he adds. “I’ve never been more committed to anything professionally more than Soles4Souls and knowing that we have even more resources to help create opportunity around the world is a perfect way to tie all of that together.”
Better yet, Soles4Souls was able to deliver 200 pairs of high-quality hiking boots to the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project, who loan hiking gear to porters in need for free. “From 2011-2023 they received a total of 229 donated (mostly used) hiking boots,” the CEO adds. “So, to get 200 at one time is a real windfall for the Kilimanjaro porter community. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen people work harder than the porters!”
Teaster travels across the U.S. and the globe for his job, witnessing first-hand the impact a pair of shoes can give to homeless students, disaster victims, and citizens in developing nations.
