For this Summer Series episode, we’re pulling out an oldie from the Happy[ness] Hour podcast, from way back in November 2022. This episode features philanthropist Kenton Lee, founder of The Shoe That Grows, a nonprofit company that produces a special kind of shoe that grows with a child’s feet, eliminating the constant need to replace kids’ footwear.

Kenton originally got this idea when he was on a mission trip, volunteering at an orphanage in Africa. While he ultimately decided that those kinds of trips were not for him, his connection with the kids led him to a different sort of realization; one that helped him to unlock his true calling and purpose in life. 

It was all based on a simple truth that he had forgotten as a grown adult: Kids’ feet are growing constantly.

Kenton ran with that truth and didn’t wait until he had a fully formed idea on his hands. He simply started with the one small thing he knew he could do: to get to work on his idea, and ask for help when he needed it. Now, as a result, he is the founder of a charity that not only creates and distributes these shoes to kids in need, but also helps others with similar, life-changing ideas get their own charities off the ground.

It all started with one small thing. (Or really, in this case, a pair of small things.)

The turning point in Kenton Lee’s life came when he was walking to church with a group of kids on his mission trip, and he looked down and realized that one little girl, in her best white dress, had cut out holes in the tops of her shoes so her toes would stick through. When he asked the staff about it, he was informed that they didn’t often get donations of shoes, and when they did, the kids grew out of them so quickly, they had to make do—either by handing them down to younger kids, or cutting them open like he’d seen.

The Kids Need New Shoes!

When the kids that Kenton worked with didn’t have shoes, they were not only unable to go to school, where shoes are part of the uniform, but they were also at risk of getting very sick, from things on the ground entering the cuts and scrapes they will inevitably get on their feet when they walk.

This gave him an idea: What if there were a shoe that grew with a kids’ foot? By the time he got home, he thought that surely somebody was already working on a project like this—but when he tried to look it up, he found nothing. 

It took a long time, and a lot of prototypes and help from friends, to get things up and running, but eventually Kenton Lee developed a shoe that does actually grow with kids’ feet, and founded the nonprofit organization Be.cause International to help get The Shoe That Grows to needy kids all over the world.

Today, 1.5 billion people suffer from soil-borne diseases worldwide—but thanks to Be.cause International and their “magic” shoe, far fewer kids will suffer than would have before. That’s what Kenton means when he says “do One Small Thing;” you may not be able to fix the whole problem, but you can still make a world of difference to the people who you can reach.

An Update on Kenton Lee and ‘Be.cause International’

When this podcast originally aired, Expandals, the commercial sale version of the Shoe That Grows, were just becoming available after a successful kickstarter in 2019. Now, they are produced by GroFive, a benefit corporation, and anyone who buys a pair of these five-size sandals for $40 will also have the joy of knowing they are providing another pair of shoes for a child in need.

The mission of Be.cause International has expanded as well: It is not only to provide shoes and other necessities to kids in need around the world, but also to help create jobs in impoverished areas. Jobs help bring about stability, which in turn lessens the chance that a child will grow up without being able to get shoes of their own. That’s why The Shoe That Grows is manufactured in Kenya, one of the places where Kenton saw the most need when he started this project.

I also say “and other necessities” because, even though it didn’t exist when this interview took place, Be.cause International now has something called the Accelerator Program, a free program for qualifying entrepreneurs who have invented a product that can help communities in need. Entrepreneurs have to meet a certain set of qualifications, including a product that solves a distinct problem, and the ability to scale and create jobs for areas that struggle with poverty.

This program is entirely free to all who are selected, and it includes sixteen weeks of online training, as well as network and mentorship opportunities, all culminating in a pitch competition where mentees compete for cash prizes to support their startup. They have already linked several entrepreneurs with over $100k in funding collectively, making a huge impact in different areas all over the word. 

…and to think, it all started with a shoe.

Start Now With One Small Thing

The overarching theme of this talk remains as true now as it was then: No matter what it is you want to do, if you wait until your plan for it is perfect, there is a good chance you will never start. 

You need to get your prototype out there—whether that means an actual prototype like Kenton’s, a first draft or rough cut of a creative project, or some other half-baked idea of any kind—let it grow with you as you go through life, and you’ll be surprised how easily the rest of the pieces fall into place.

Often, this starts with that One Small Thing that we mentioned. Doing what little you can will open you up to more opportunities to do other things in that area—you’ll meet other people interested in that One Small Thing too, and they’ll tell you about the other Small Things they’ve been doing. Maybe eventually, you’ll get to talking about those Big Things you’ve been carrying along with you, and you’ll find that your prototype and their half-baked idea go together perfectly, and you’ll create something that impacts more people than you ever could have alone.

Suddenly, you’ll look around you and realize that you’re part of that great Conspiracy of Goodness we’ve been talking about—that you have created your own little pocket of purpose in the world.

So get inspired—and perhaps start thinking about your own One Small Thing!

• Be.cause Website
• The Shoe That Grows
• Tedx Talk: You Don’t Need a Doctorate to Make a Difference

• 00:00 – Intro & Welcome
• 04:16 – Kenton’s Background
• 06:46 – Inspiration for The Shoe That Grows
• 19:40 – The Power of Small Things
• 27:41 – Break
• 29:56 – Commercial Sale Expandals
• 33:45 – Working as a Nonprofit
• 41:23 – How to Help