"One Day Without Shoes" Montage

A recap of the "One Day Without Shoes" event at Brumby Beach. Thank you to everyone who participated! The day was a great success!

Fun Pic Thursday

Harry Dawg loves TOMS

photo courtesy of Rene Smith

Earth TOMS

On Wednesday many students across campus will go out of their way to promote and participate in green initiatives in honor of Earth Day. TOMS at UGA will take part in an Earth Day celebration sponsored by the Go Green Alliance titled “It's SO Easy Being Green!”

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the TOMS team will be in Tate Plaze raising awareness about the ways TOMS Shoes works to help the environment. In addition to being committed to its “one for one” mission, the company works to make its shoes as eco-friendly as possible.

Several shoe styles are available that are 100 percent vegan, meaning no animal bi-products were used in the making of the shoes. The dye of many styles of shoes is lead-free. In the newer styles, the soles are made of a recycled rubber blend. The April 2009 edition of 'InStyle' magazine included TOMS Shoes on its list of fashion-forward items winning a “green award.”

Not only are you helping children in need when you purchase TOMS, but you are also helping the environment. TOMS Shoes is truly dedicated to producing “shoes for tomorrow” in every way possible.

Lesson Learned

We did it. On Thursday students were showing up to class barefoot all over campus. Two hundred and fifty people were spotted shoeless at our Brumby Beach event alone! We jumped, danced, ate, colored and played in the perfect spring weather.

Halfway through a walk from Brumby Beach to the arch, my tender, winter feet began to feel some major pain. I stubbed my toes, burnt my feet on the pavement, cringed through the rocky parts and did a small jig when I made it to the cool tile of the MLC. In short, I'm spoiled. My walk was only for about 30 minutes and all I could think of were the children who walk barefoot for miles. That’s a powerful way to realize how much we take for granted.

Together the TOMS Shoes team increased awareness of the company's mission and of the 40 percent of the world that goes without wearing shoes every day. I’ve been working with TOMS Shoes for months now, but never before was its message more apparent to me than it was on Thursday.

Thank you to those who came out to Brumby Beach and sacrificed a little bit of comfort to walk in the steps of those who go barefoot every day.

Today is the day! “One Day Without Shoes” officially started at Brumby Beach. Join the TOMS at UGA team, kick off those shoes of yours, and “bare your sole” from noon to 6 p.m., with a barefoot walk to Bolton Dining commons to end the day at 5:30 p.m.

Not only are we here to play barefoot on the super-cool jumping machine, decorate our newest TOMS Shoes, sport our latest pedicure barefoot or hang out with Joel in his man TOMS … but we are here to honor the 40 percent of the population who walks without shoes everyday.

If you’re still not sure what TOMS is all about, it’s simple: people are suffering from diseases they acquire in their lives without shoes. These diseases, which make them outcasts and cause a host of medical problems, are 100% preventable. They just need shoes.
So girls, boys, dawgs, faculty, staff, townies – if you’re in Athens today then make your way to Brumby Beach today from noon through 6 p.m.

48 Hours and Counting!

The count down is officially underway: only two days until “One Day Without Shoes!”

Although it may be dreary and rainy today, we checked the weather report, spoke with the gods and are assured the sun will be shining on Thursday! We should have some nice, dry spring grass to play around in our bare feet.

While we may joke about Claire’s affinity for Blake Mycoskie and Joel’s love of Man TOMS, we haven’t lost focus on TOMS Shoes’ mission.

More than two billion people, that’s 40 percent of the world, walk without shoes each day. Think about how many shoes are in your closet right now and compare it to this statistic; astonishing, isn’t it?

Even more unbelievable is the fact that podoconiosis, a disease that causes extreme swelling, ulcers and deformity in the feet and legs, is 100 percent preventable by wearing shoes. 100 percent preventable! What a difference one pair of shoes can make.

If you are debating whether to take your shoes off for a day, a class or even an hour, then draw strength from the alarming number of people who live without this luxury each day. Walk barefoot with pride knowing that with each step you take, you raise awareness for billions around the world, not only making their lives more comfortable, but saving them as well.

Photo provided by Lindsay Lamphere from the South African shoe drop in 2007

Fun Pic Thursday Once Again!

It's "Fun Pic Thursday" once again! Here is your weekly dose of TOMS pics from Relay For Life last Friday.

One Day Without Shoes

“One Day Without Shoes” is right around the corner! We only have one week, and we are working around the clock to get people excited about this event.

“One Day Without Shoes” is a national day of recognition, led by TOMS Shoes, of the 40 percent of the world who live without shoes every day. Forty percent! Just take a minute to think about how many different pairs of shoes we each have – a pair for running, a casual pair, dress shoes, even a pair to wear around the house – and realize how much a pair of shoes impacts a life.

To raise awareness of this issue, we are hosting a concert on the University of Georgia’s Brumby Beach complete with a moonwalk, food, a TOMS Shoes documentary showing and opportunities to speak with the TOMS Shoes campus representative Rene Smith. We are also having a “Style Your Sole” party for people who pre-ordered a pair of TOMS shoes. The best part is that we will all be barefoot!

Join us for the event April 16 or pledge to go barefoot for the whole day or just long enough to raise awareness about this issue.

Spreading the word- One step at a time!

As you know, the TOMS at UGA team attended the University of Georgia's Relay for Life Friday, and it was a blast!

The highlight of the night was the barefoot lap. At 8:30 p.m., our team, many of our friends and a few TOMS fans endured the blustery weather and walked shoeless around the track in honor of those who go shoeless every day. As we walked holding our TOMS flags with pride, we shared the story of TOMS Shoes and the purpose of One Day Without Shoes. The excitement for One Day Without Shoes is mounting as we continue to spread the word around campus and prepare to bare our soles!

Several attendees were interested in learning about TOMS Shoes and its mission as well as the upcoming on-campus events. We collected numerous uniquely decorated paper feet stating the amount of time students pledge to go barefoot April 16 for One Day Without Shoes. A few people also browsed through the TOMS catalog to pre-order shoes for the "Style Your Sole" party that will be held during our One Day Without Shoes extravaganza.  

TOMS at Relay For Life

TOMS at UGA will be at Relay For Life on Friday, April 3.

In true TOMS style, there will be a barefoot lap at 8 p.m. during the Relay as a preview for One Day Without Shoes on April 16.

From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. we will distribute promotional codes for free shipping, so look for our TOMS banner with blue and white balloons.

You can also save $5 by pre-ordering TOMS shoes to be delivered on April 16 at the One Day Without Shoes event. To pre-order, bring cash or check with your order information. You can also decorate a paper foot for our TOMS poster.

Please join us by showing support for both TOMS and Relay For Life as we enjoy a night of feet, fun and fundraising.

TOMS Creator on CNBC

TOMS Shoes creator, Blake Mycoskie, is featured on CNBC as an entrepreneur.

Style Your Sole

If you were not there you should have been. Last Thursday the TOMS Vagabonds hosted a “Style Your Sole” event at Cine in downtown Athens. There was free food and a documentary showing. But the best part was getting to decorate and design your own pair of TOMS shoes. All you had to do was pick out and purchase your favorite pair of TOMS from a table full of merchandise then get down and dirty with your creative side. The Vagabonds provided spray paint, fabrics, buttons, glue and more all to help your inner artist come out. It was great to see different ideas and creativity emerge through pairs of shoes.

I took my roommate with me. She was a virgin to the cause, and it was a great way to introduce her to the TOMS experience. I bought a T-shirt that read “Drop TOMS not Bombs” and she bought the white TOMS shoes so she could “style her sole.” After she used up the last of the black spray paint, one of the Vagabonds took her picture with what we believe could be the next best seller of TOMS shoes. We left with spray paint stained fingers. It is like taking a piece of your own creativity with you wherever you go, baring your soul on your sole. It was a fun night.
-Katie

Malory Toscano styling her TOMS shoes.