International speaker and coach Joan Endicott packs The Shoe That Grows in a Christmas shoebox with nonprofit Because International.

Joan Endicott has packed a lot of Christmas shoeboxes. As an international speaker and coach, she’s also taken The Shoe That Grows to communities in multiple countries—and she doesn’t hesitate when asked her opinion. “I think these are the eighth wonder of the world, pretty much,” Joan shares. “I’ll get emotional talking about it, because I’ve seen the difference it makes firsthand.”

The Shoe That Grows is just what it sounds like: a shoe that expands five sizes and lasts for years, built for kids impacted by poverty around the world.

It’s easy to downplay how impactful that is until you’ve seen it up close. Joan has. She’s met a mother who carried her toddler everywhere rather than let them walk barefoot through dirt and thorns that could cause infection, or worse. “If you’re a mom or a parent, just imagine not being able to have that freedom for your child to go and play and just be a kid,” she says.

She’s met a woman who prayed for three years for shoes for the kids in her community. “She would get up at four in the morning and start praying for shoes for these kids,” Joan remembers, “shoes for their safety, their education, their dignity.” In many countries, shoes are also a requirement to attend school. But the impact they make goes beyond attendance. They can also help give kids the dignity and self-confidence that can come with having what their peers have.

“It opens up this whole new world of opportunity, freedom, independence for these children and their families,” Joan shares.

It’s estimated that over 300 million children around the world don’t have shoes, and many who do have a pair that won’t last. The Shoe That Grows is unique because it can make a difference longer. Joan has seen jaws drop as the impact of that sinks in. “They’re used to a pair of shoes that will fall apart. That’s why these are so miraculous. Because they do last.” She remembers one boy who wore his pair of The Shoe for five years and then passed them down to a younger sibling. “That’s the best testimonial ever.”

Joan’s love for pairing The Shoe That Grows with Christmas shoeboxes was reinforced by a friend of hers who spent decades as a missionary. “They would get these boxes. And she told me that when a child would open a box and she'd see a pair of shoes, she either wept or jumped for joy or both,” Joan recalls, “because she knew that when the toys broke or the candy was gone, this was the thing that would make the biggest difference in their lives for years to come.”

Joan’s experienced the difference that a pair of shoes can make for a family. “There’s no greater investment,” she says. “I don’t know of any greater way to spend a few dollars to make such a life-changing impact in a child’s life—for their health, their wellness, their education, their dignity.”

This Christmas, thousands of shoeboxes will include The Shoe That Grows. Yours can too.