One Day Without Shoes is a campaign started by TOMS shoes to raise awareness for its campaign to put shoes on the feet of children who would normally go barefoot. Students and faculty joined in by going without shoes for most of the day. Mike Ford discusses the One Day Without Shoes he organized at Tech.”I think what people lose in the message that TOMS puts out is that it’s more than buying shoes. There are other ways to get involved while still through TOMS. I wanted to ensure that this campus day without shoes idea was one of activism and knowledge without being overtly promotional. That’s not to take away from TOMS’ function in providing shoes to kids. What they are doing is amazing, especially to be such a huge success while maintaining a striking sense of civic responsibility.
“Today was One Day Without Shoes. There was a nice turnout for the campus walk I staged. We got people to listen, take off their shoes and keep the message rolling. It was exactly what we set out to do-that and get our feet dirty. Successful across the board. As for going all day without shoes, it was a challenge for a good part of the day but I got into it by about 10:30. I did bring my TOMS to school for the bathroom.
“The show was amazing. Connection Bilingual Center is an underappreciated gem and the one guy that made all the difference for One Day Without Shoes events Miguel (Carpizo-Ituarte). He dove into this cause immediately after seeing the Facebook event, asking me what he could do, where he could get info. I mentioned the idea of music and a venue and bam, he had one. He was so generous with his space it floored me. He’s an amazing guy and his heart should be appreciated.
“It really was a positive experience to feel like I was at the helm of a mindset for a while, getting people to feel their bare feet and know that there is a problem out there, to know that it takes people to change things for the better. I got emotional afterward and that is totally fine with me. This has been an experience that, despite stressing me out and commandeering my week, I’ll forever hold onto.
