Students walked barefoot to raise awareness for children without shoes Tuesday for the TOMS Day Without Shoes.
According to TOMS.com, TOMS Shoes began in 2006 when Blake Mycoskie, an American traveler, visited children in Argentina and found that they had no shoes to protect their feet. To help them, Mycoskie created a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. Mycoskie returned with friends, family and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers.
This is the fourth annual TOMS Day Without Shoes. Over 250,000 people across the globe went barefoot on April 8 of last year in support of TOMS. This year’s event found its way to Nicholls as several students walked barefoot on Tuesday.
Despite the weather conditions on Monday evening, students like Raleigh Benoit, freshman from Destrehan, still left their shoes at home.
“I was unsure about not wearing shoes today since it was 46 degrees when I woke up,” Benoit said, “but then I remembered that the kids that TOMS shoes go to never have the option to make that decision, so I went out barefoot all day.”
Benoit, along with other students, was a bit worried about what people would think of them walking barefoot. Amber Hutchinson, freshman from Houma, said that she was worried about the looks she would get from her classmates.
“I decided that I wasn’t going to do it for them and do it for myself instead,” Hutchinson said. “I am really glad I went through with it because it really changed my outlook on things.”
Each student that went barefoot agreed that the most important part about One Day Without Shoes is the children in need.
“I like being able to stand for something, even if it’s for children across the world,” Steven Burnet, freshman from Chauvin, said. “Just standing up for something like this is really powerful.”
Felix Cataldie, psychology sophomore from Baton Rouge, said that he was happy to go barefoot today.
“I love raising awareness for children without shoes,” he said. “I’m not a big fan of shoes in the first place, so this was the perfect opportunity.”
Like Cataldie, Abigail LeBlanc, freshman from New Iberia, embraced the idea of leaving her shoes at home.
“Most girls were wearing heels today, but I was comfortable not wearing shoes,” LeBlanc said.
By the end of the day, students began to feel the effects of walking all day without shoes.
“By the end of the day, my feet were a bit cut up and painful, but it made me appreciate the fact that I have shoes and socks to wear everyday,” Benoit said. “Bare feet and concrete may rhyme, but they are a horrible mix.”
Hutchinson said that she carried a pair of shoes in her backpack in case they were needed, but she never had to put them on.
“Sure, I stepped on a few rocks, sticks and even a pinecone,” she said. “It hurt, but I wasn’t about to complain about that when the bottoms of children’s feet are so beat up and cut from having to walk miles and miles just to get food and water.”
Hutchinson said that this year’s Day Without Shoes has made a big impact on her life.
“The biggest lesson I learned of all is to not take the little things for granted,” she said. “My next pair of shoes won’t be Jessica Simpson’s or a pair of Gianni Binis. They will be a pair of TOMS. One for One!”
