Become a shoe designer and help a child, all while spending a lovely afternoon at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Not a bad way to do a good deed.

TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need for every purchase made.

You can buy and customize a pair of TOMS shoes with designs by visiting artists (click here to preview their bios), or put paint to canvas to create your own unique look.

The event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 1 to 5 p.m.

Pre-order your shoes to guarantee size and style, but shoes will be available for purchase up until the start of the program.

The TOMS program was developed because Blake Mycoskie, an American traveler visiting Argentina in 2006, noticed many children in the areas surrounding Buenos Aires had cuts and infections on their feet.

The children had to walk miles for food or to school and had limited or no access to shoes.

Blake had a idea to raise funds for the children and start a business by reinventing the traditional Argentine alpargata (footwear) for the U.S. market. And he made a commitment to match every pair of TOMS purchased with a pair to a child in need.

Read more about their program here.

Check out the styles for men and women available for order at mobot.org/toms. Call (314) 577-0865 or visit the
Garden Gate Shop, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, open daily 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.