Toms: Good Fashion, Good Cause, Good Volunteer Work

Love shoes? Love to make a difference? Look into buying Toms. These cute, and always perfect for any outfit shoes not only are stylish and affordable they also help a great cause! Each pair of Toms purchased goes to sending a pair of shoes to a child in need. I love seeing people always sporting Toms either with shoes or the cute logo sticker all around campus, town and the like. When I went abraod they lost mine and my BFFs luggage for ten days and the only shoes I had were my TOMS and I couldn't have asked for a more comfy, cute and versatile shoes to be "stuck" with for a whole week all day everyday (doesn't sound like that big of a problem but, if you're a fashionista like me I'm sure you gasped even at the idea of one pair of shoes for ten days!!!) Also, on my first day at my internship at school my supervisor was sporting THE cutest JMU purple and gold high heel Toms (ahh dorrable). She said that each orientation advisor got a pair from Toms and I can't tell you how many people asked where they can get their own pair. So check out TOMS website now to help make a difference and look cute while doing it.

A Little More About TOMS

In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he createdTOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers.

Why Shoes?

Many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or going to school, these children are at risk:

•A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.

•Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.

•Many times children can’t attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. 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.

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