On Thursday, April 8th, many students were baring their soles, quite literally. TOMs shoes “One Day Without Shoes” had over a quarter of a million people participate in the effort to raise awareness for children in developing countries who have never owned a pair of shoes.In many countries, children without shoes walk miles every day to school, to find clean water or to receive medical assistance. They endure the heat, cold and the terrain and they are prone to various infections that come from the cuts on their feet that they suffer regularly. Many children are not permitted to attend school without wearing shoes. The mission of TOMs shoes is to give away one pair of shoes to a child in a developing country for every pair of TOMs sold.

Although it was a rainy day, many students, both on and off campus, participated in “One Day Without Shoes.”

Chris Wolfe, junior, was excited about supporting the cause. “The rain is putting a damper on things,” he said, “but I’m sticking it out. I’ve gotten some funny looks, especially because it’s raining, but at the same time, that’s bringing more awareness to the cause in a funny way.”

Patricia Gibson, freshmen, recently went on a mission trip to Kenya where she encountered many children who did not own shoes. “I’ve seen the kids that need shoes, so I’m really passionate about TOMs,” she said. “It’s important to spread awareness of the disease and infection that can come from not wearing shoes. A ton of people in other countries deal with this all the time and TOMs helps them get shoes so they can go throughout life more easily.”

One student, Orrin Wilburn, freshmen, noticed how most people overlook the importance of owning a pair of shoes. “I can open my closet and find four or five pairs of shoes to wear easily, while many people don’t even own one pair.”

Molly Noseworthy, senior, said that she believed that the day was a way to help people who own shoes be able to understand what it would be like to live without them. “This event allows people to discover the impact of a pair of shoes. But it does more than that,” said Noseworthy. “The people participating in this event are messengers who explain what TOMs mission is and who recruit more people to help the cause. Groups of people running around barefoot is a very loud statement.”

To learn more about “One Day Without Shoes,” visit www.onedaywithoutshoes.com. To learn more about TOMs shoes, visit www.toms.com.

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