TOMS at ASU, a club formed this semester, is working to raise awareness in the ASU community about what it means to live without shoes in an underdeveloped country.
TOMS, which is short for “Tomorrow’s Shoes,” is a nonprofit organization that sells shoes. For every pair purchased, the company donates a pair to a child in an underdeveloped country. So far, TOMS has given away more than 140,000 pairs of shoes.
The chapter at ASU was created after students signed up to be campus representatives for the company. There are currently more than 10 campus representatives at ASU.
Brian McCollow, president of TOMS at ASU and a sustainability junior, said the group tries to promote buying shoes, but mostly wants to show students how important shoes are in underdeveloped countries.
“There are lots of places that don’t have paved roads, and places where clean water isn’t coming out of a faucet in the house,” McCollow said.
“In those cases, people have to walk a long way, which causes a lot of damage to bare feet. Giving people who live in those conditions shoes is providing them with a lot of new opportunities they wouldn’t have had before.”
The club plans to celebrate TOMS Tuesdays for the rest of the semester in front of the Memorial Union, where campus representatives will reach out to inform other students about the organization, said film production and design studies junior Natalie Cordray, a campus representative.
“We’re going to have sign-ups for people who want to volunteer at events we’re hosting throughout the semester,” Cordray said. “We’re also going to have laptops for people to sign up for newsletters and, if they want, to order a pair of TOMS shoes.”
The group will also share a discount code with students.
TOMS at ASU is planning an event called “Style Your Sole,” which is scheduled for Oct. 21.
“At TOMS Tuesdays we’re going to let people know about that event and encourage them to buy plain TOMS shoes,” Cordray said. “At ‘Style Your Sole,’ we’ll have stencils and supplies for people to decorate their shoes.”
TOMS is also planning an event in November, where the group will ask people to go barefoot for the day while doing their normal activities.
“It’s going to show people what it’s like for children in underdeveloped countries who have to walk around without shoes,” McCollow said.
Campus representative and undeclared freshman Chelsea Warren said she first heard about TOMS three years ago when her mom bought her a pair for Christmas.
Warren, who was also a TOMS representative at her high school, said there is no reason students wouldn’t want to buy the shoes or why students would want to buy elsewhere.
“They are really comfortable and I think they pretty much have a style for everyone,” she said.
Being involved with TOMS has made Warren realize how important shoes are for people in underdeveloped countries, she said.
“Some kids can’t even go to school because they can’t walk barefoot all the way there,” Warren said. “They can’t succeed if they don’t go to school, or get to food, or get to water. I can’t imagine walking around without shoes.”
Reach the reporter at sheydt@asu.edu.
