Going without shoes: TOMS promotes day of awareness

By Ellen Baker

Students will walk across campus barefoot Tuesday in participation with One Day Without Shoes, sponsored by TOMS shoes.

The event is held worldwide to help spread the awareness for the millions of kids who go without shoes every day by going barefoot for 24 hours.

Sabrina Hounshell, President of the TOMS Shoes Campus Club, hopes students can gain insight to what it’s like to walk barefoot all day over different terrains and gain a better understanding of how important it is to have shoes.

Tomorrow’s Shoes (TOMS) is a show company out of Santa Monica, Calif. that started the One Day Without Shoes event in 2006. TOMS practices a One for One campaign which will donate a brand new pair of shoes to a child in need with every pair of TOMS shoes purchased.

Donations are custom made and delivered to children in the U.S., South America, Africa and Asia in some of the neediest regions.

“While going the entire 24 hours without shoes is admirable, it’s understandable that this cannot be done for health and safety reasons in all buildings,” Hounshell said. “If you have to wear shoes and you have TOMS, wear them! If you don’t, go as many hours without shoes as you can and are able to. Committing to doing it at all is what One Day Without Shoes is all about.”

If you plan on participating in One Day Without Shoes, Hounshell said there are no major safety concern, but be aware of your surroundings when going barefoot and carry a pair of shoes with you in case somewhere becomes too hazardous to go barefoot.

“People should participate because One Day Without Shoes is a simple way to raise awareness about a global issue,” Hounshell said. “By going barefoot you become a social activist, and that’s in itself a cool thing to accomplish by just taking off your shoes.”

For more information on the event, log onto www.TOMS.com.