The Johnsonian

Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: Entertainment

You can hear the exhaustion in his voice.

But in between his quiet tone is a sense of serenity in the realization that he and his brothers have started what they believe as the beginning of making a significant impact.
Taylor Hanson, the middle brother of the rock group Hanson, has just returned from South Africa with his band mates, family, friends and supporters of TOMS shoes. His voice is calm as he speaks of his trip back to where he and his brothers visited just over a year ago.

The brothers of Hanson have spent the past few months touring the nation in support of their newest independent release, The Walk, and to spread a message of encouraging awareness of extreme issues in Africa such as AIDS and poverty. Recently, the brothers took time off to travel back to Africa on two separate missions.

First, to continue their support of TOMS shoes by placing shoes on children's feet and secondly, to revisit DD Dliwayo, a school in which they visited last year to record a children's choir on the track "Great Divide," which helped raise money to be donated to the school and to a program which provides research funding to lower HIV/AIDS transmission rates.

After joining forces with TOMS shoes on the beginning of their tour, Hanson promised to help TOMS reach the goal of selling 50,000. Together, Hanson, their fans, and the TOMS shoes community successfully sold their goal, and a little more than expected.
"The shoe drop was amazing. It was an incredible completion of that message from all the way of the beginning until the achieving of that goal," Hanson said. "To be able to literally bring these pairs of shoes to these kids, so many of them that walk kilometers every day barefoot just to get to school…I think it was incredible for all of us to see just the impact of so many people who supported TOMS and us who helped make it possible for all those kids."

When asked to share a particular event of their trip, Hanson quickly mentioned his experience at an orphanage, A Mother of Peace, in which they visited on their second day with TOMS. Close to Durban, South Africa, the orphanage contained only 40 children. Upon their arrival, Hanson felt relieved as he noticed these children had caretakers who clothed them and feed them more so in other locations that they had visited. However, he quickly realized 12 out of the 40 children were infected with HIV.

"You're playing with these beautiful kids and seeing the smiles on their faces and you realize that they are part of the trap in this situation. They're like so many of these kids that don't have any choice in the matter…they are born into this disease," Hanson said. "You gave them a hug and they didn't want to let go, they just wanted to sit on your lap and have someone give them attention all of the time,"

"To know that those same little kids were born with the disease without someone taking a minute to help, they would be dead…It really chilled me…This is hopelessness at it's worst. It put into perspective, even in situations where you feel like they are a little better off, they are still faced with some of the greatest challenges that even we can't comprehend…I will never forget that."

The other aspect of their trip was revisiting DD Dilwayo. The Hanson brothers returned to the school they once visited to reconnect with the children that sang on their album tracks "Great Divide" and "Blue Sky" and to encourage the learning atmosphere even more.

Traveling with them was photographer Bryan Johnson. Through his camera lens his eyes were awakened to the issues faced directly in front of him. Inspired to help in some way, Bryan and Hanson joined together to raise more money for DD Dilwayo while they were still on location. By asking people to donate through Bryan's website and by selling a limited edition photo of Hanson with the children of DD Dilwayo for a high price, Bryan and Hanson successfully raised more money for the school.

"Unbelievably in less than five days, we raised more than $15000 for this school," Hanson said.

Exhausted from the trip and long plane rides, Hanson is still on a 'high' from the trip, with memories forever placed in his heart and an urgency to move on to the next step in making a difference.

"We have to be relentless in beginning to examine what we do every day and become the generation that really embraces helping this group out of poverty and out of disease, not because we have to but because we can," Hanson said. "The partnership and possibility of fueling hope in Africa has a potential to be a great legacy for our generation."

After the holidays, Hanson and his brothers will continue on another leg of their tour and will still sponsor one mile walks awareness walks before each show as well as continuing to partner with TOMS shoes. Currently, a special shoe is being designed for Hanson fans to promote TOMS shoes even more.

"We want everything we do to be an opportunity for people to give," Hanson said.

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