Some 18-year-olds who take time off from their studies after high school travel, learn a new language or gain employment. Augustus Holm gathered some friends, gave away more than 21,600 pairs of shoes to families in need and set a world record that he hopes lends even more credibility to his future philanthropic efforts. The footwear drive in San Diego, California, clinched the Guinness World Records mark for largest donation of shoes in 24 hours. But the story neither starts nor ends there. For Holm, it largely began in 2019, when he was 13 and his mother asked him to help her out with a fundraising gala dinner. Holm and some friends raised $130,000 in the months leading up to the gala. Then they ginned up another $100,000 at the gala itself. They knew they were on a roll and in 2019 founded the Youth Philanthropy Council, the organization which managed the shoe giveaway. “It’s a little selfish, right, that I’m doing this because it makes me feel good,” Holm said. “But I love to be able to help out my community, and I’m not going to be dropping that anytime soon.”
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