by Bill Wells Director of Student Promotion
ALUMNI IN ACTION: Chris Costello ’96
Chris Costello ’96: Walking the walk as an entrepreneur
• Yearbook, 1996 • Chris Costello ’96 with young students in Montreal sparked by the entrepreneurial spirit to help others.
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ilbraham & Monson Academy’s Chris Costello ’96 founded a nonprofit organization in Montreal, Canada, after he recognized there was a large population of homeless residents, including many who suffered from foot problems. In 2020, his company—Toe2Toe—made a shift and went toe-to-toe with COVID-19. During internships in emergency rooms for medical school, he noticed a trend within the homeless population. “There were always foot problems and foot infections,” Mr. Costello explained. “It was something I was curious about at that point. I wondered why was there always a foot problem.” A medical condition landed Mr. Costello in a Montreal hospital for several days in 2012. His roommate was a member of the homeless community. Prior to discharge, Mr. Costello asked a pointed question. “Upon discharge, I asked him what did the homeless population need that the general population wasn’t thinking about. He brought up socks. That’s when things made sense. A lack of foot hygiene leads to foot infections and foot problems.
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“He said he could get food and get shelter, he could find a hat and jacket; but he couldn’t find socks, and he could go six months wearing the same socks. You consider the level of a lack of hygiene, that’s what was contributing to all of these foot infections. It puts the body open to systemic infections, which could go anywhere.” Six months in the same pair of socks—a recipe for a health disaster, especially for people whose immune systems were already being stressed due to factors like cold weather, substance abuse and a lack of nutrition.
“I see the entrepreneurial spirit. They say they’re going to go online and drive something, or they’re going to go to their hockey team or art class, and they look for ideas. I push the entrepreneurial spirit.” — Chris Costello ’96
