Category | News

Students walk a mile without shoes for TOMS

Published on October 6, 2009 by Raquel Barnett

Students raised $826 for TOMS Shoes, an organization that gives shoes to children in need, while walking barefoot at the ONE Mile With TOMS event on Oct. 1.

Students who participated took their shoes off and walked around campus to experience what shoeless children around the world feel daily.

The Department of First Year Programs, the Center for Student Leadership and the ONE Campus Challenge collaborated to host the event.

Audrey Ruark, head coordinator of the event and KSU sophomore, is the Ambassador of the ONE Campus Challenge in Georgia and Alabama. According to Ruark, the ONE Campus Challenge is an organization that helps fight global poverty: “Our goal was to not only raise money for TOMS Shoes, but to make the walkers understand why shoes are so important,” said Ruark.

Ruark invited Andrew McEntyre, who works for Abbadabba’s shoe store and represents TOMS in their store, to sell TOMS at the event.

“TOMS Shoes appealed to me because it uses the market as a for-profit organization that’s main goal is to help others,” said McEntyre.

For every pair of shoes a person buys from TOMS, a pair is given to a child in need. Since Blake Mycoskie founded TOMS Shoes in 2006, the organization has given more than 150,000 pairs of shoes to children. By the end of 2009, they hope to have given over 300,000 pairs.

“I thought I should try to put myself in other people’s shoes and see what it is like,” said freshman Thi Heeyen. “As I walked by, I felt sad for the children. I had never been able to feel what it was like before.”

Junior Kelsey Gulledge is a TOMS Campus Representative at KSU.

“A TOMS Campus Rep is similar to the ONE Campus Challenge,” said Gulledge. “I had to apply online on the TOMS Web site and they contacted me. They send us promotional materials and the TOMS Campus Reps host events and create a club.”

According to Gulledge, anyone can become a Campus Rep by applying online at tomsshoes.com.

Abbadabba’s will be discounting 10 percent off to KSU students Oct. 4-11 to continue raising funds for TOMS. Students can also go to the TOMS Web site and purchase a pair of shoes or get involved with the cause.

For more information about the ONE Campus Challenge, go to one.org/campus.