TOMS shoes club helps barefoot children

They come in colors from navy blue to sparkly silver. They look cute with anything from shorts to sweats and, as all trendy items go, they can be seen scattered all over USD’s campus. For every pair of shoes that is purchased, TOMS donates another pair to a child in need. TOMS Shoes at USD was recently approved by Associated Students as a student organization on campus. This means that our campus now has a direct outlet to help promote TOMS in their quest to bring shoes to children in need.
Sophomore Lindsay Price and senior Chris Coetzee are the campus representatives for TOMS Shoes at USD. The two work to spread awareness about the “One for One” cause of TOMS shoes.
“I love the shoes, but more importantly I love to support the cause. With the gaining popularity of TOMS, they are becoming one of the most profitable and charitable products on the market,” Price said.
On Oct. 20 the organization had their first event, “Style your Soles” during dead hours outside of the SLP. Students were encouraged to buy a pair of the white canvas TOMS and paint them with paint supplies provided by BLICK. Price says that they were extremely excited about the turnout. Not only were over 50 pairs of TOMS ordered, but the event sparked the interested of countless other students.
Senior Kevin Chagnon has been a TOMS wearer for about a year and said of the organization, “the concept of TOMS shoes is such a great idea - combining awareness with style. Having a club on campus definitely shows our campus’ commitment to reaching out into the community. We should all be proud of that.”
The awareness that the club sets out to spread is exactly that of the TOMS foundation. In 2006 Blake Mycoskie, an American traveler in Argentina, befriended a group of children and discovered that they had no shoes to protect their feet. Blake was so determined to do something about it that he created TOMS Shoes, One for One. Later that year Blake returned to Argentina with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers. Since then TOMS has given over 150,000 pairs of shoes to children in need.
The website, tomsshoes.com, explains why shoes are such a vital necessity. According to the site, “most children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or just getting around, these children are at risk.”
These risks include being infected by soil-transmitted parasites, which penetrate the skin through open sores. By wearing shoes the children are at less risk of getting cuts and sores from unsafe roads, which they are forced to walk on because the primary transportation in developing countries is walking.
Shoes are also a necessity because children often cannot attend school barefoot, as shoes are a required part of their uniform. According to the site, “If they don’t have shoes, they don’t go to school. If they don’t receive an education, they don’t have the opportunity to realize their potential.”
Any student who is interested in joining the TOMS Shoes at USD club is encouraged to do so by contacting either Price or Coetzee. TOMS Shoes can be purchased online. This simple act can bring such a huge impact into the life of a child.
Price said the club is already planning future events, which will be open to every member of the USD community.