Well Shod for a Good Cause

If you are a fan of Louboutins, you will remember the zippery Rodita sandals that came out not so long ago. They're all sold out most places although I've seen a few here and there.

What you probably didn't see, however, were PINK ones!

Aren't those pretty?

Well, not only are they beautiful, they are limited editions (my favorite words)... and part of raising funds for a great cause.

You may be familiar with Footcandy - an online (and offline too) store featuring a ton of great designers. Well, when When Carolyn and Perry (the owners of Footcandy and vintners as well) visited Four Seasons Tented Camp last fall they immediately fell in love with the resident adopted elephants and were looking for ways to contribute to the Camp's charity project.

The Tented Camp forms one part of the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant foundation (GTAEF) which aims to rescue elephants off the streets of Thailand and provide them with a humane and natural environment in the jungles of the Golden Triangle.

'Carolyn and I watched a mother elephant and her baby weaving in and out of traffic on the streets of Bangkok with their mahout begging for money so they could all eat .The Elephants were under nourished and stressed. We could not stand to see these gentle giants and their families in such poverty .We decided to help, getting them all off the street and to a camp where they would be treated with respect and love.' Perry said.

Not satisfied with a straight forward donation, Perry decided to introduce a special Juslyn Vineyard 'Rescue' label in support of the Foundation.

Carolyn took her idea literally a step further to create exclusively designed shoes for her select female clientele. She approached world renowned designer Christian Louboutin to design a shoe for the cause, and as an animal lover himself, he agreed. Carolyn is proud to offer the Rodita Rescue style, exclusively available at Footcandy stores and online. Only 50 pair were made, making this an opportunity for shoe lovers to own a collector's item.

Again, all proceeds are being donated to the GTAEF rescue mission, specifically towards the upkeep of the Butler's adopted baby elephant Nam Chok, a five year old who has become the adoptive surrogate sister for another baby, Tong Suk. The shoes can be purchased at any Footcandy store in California or shipped worldwide.

Asian elephants played an important cultural and economic role for centuries and once provided the main workforce in the teak forests of Northern Thailand. With the cutbacks in teak foresting, elephants were no longer needed and consequently became a burden to their owners. Many elephant owners resort to taking their charges into big cities to get people to pay to touch, feed or play with their elephant.

Elephant Family (UK) and Friends of Conservation (US) registered charities have added the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation to their list of supported projects and tax deductible contributions can be submitted through these aid organizations.

To buy the sandals, you can visit Footcandy's online store.

I love the shoes and the color and I think this is a great cause. I'm glad that 100% of the proceeds are going towards the elephants. Typically I don't like the "cause-related" items that are in stores because I think it is better to just give the money directly to the group or research or whatever.

For information about the elephant rescue programs in Northern Thailand or to donate funds, please visit www.elephantfamily.org and http://news.helpingelephants.org or contact John Roberts at Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle jroberts@minornet.com .