By Audrey Wade, senior

Whether people want to help the world or they just like shoes, TOMS are taking off, and the feet of Friends University students are proof.

TOMS Shoes started in 2006 with Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS Shoes, and his simple vision of putting shoes on bare feet.

“The TOMS movement really says a lot about our generation and how we want to reach out and make a difference and do something about the social injustices in this world,” said sophomore Amber Teske.

Teske spent a summer in the Philippines working with orphans and owns several pairs of TOMS Shoes.

TOMS are based off the Argentinean alpargata worn by farmers and common people. The average TOMS classic costs $44, though TOMS also sells select patterns to luxury retailers for up to $125.

TOMS aims at reaching out to youth and the generation that is preparing to take care of the world with clubs for middle schools, high schools and universities. Friends now has a TOMS Club among its clubs and organizations.

As a generation focused on social injustices and healing the world, many are rethinking how to do that.

“We see people without food and we want to feed them. We see people without clothes and we want to clothe them. We see kids without shoes that are getting podoconiosis and we want to put shoes on their feet,” Teske said.

Podoconiosis, known as podo or elephantiasis, is one of the risks for many who have no shoes. TOMS explains that podo is caused by walking barefoot in silica-heavy volcanic soil. Podo can cause extreme disfiguring, intense pain, ulcers and can lead to loss of a job and abandonment. 

  Many diseases like podo are preventable with shoes. Having shoes also enables children to go to school and walk long distances to get much needed water, food and medical treatments.

“I get to put a pair of shoes on some kids’ feet in Kenya or another country, and that’s really cool,” said Teske.

During a trip to Argentina, Mycoskie visited a village filled with children who had bare feet, not by choice, but because they had no shoes. Instead of having a temporary shoe drive, Mycoskie found a way to continuously give the shoes that were needed around the world with the One for One Movement of TOMS shoes. For every pair of shoes that TOMS sells, the organization donates a pair to children in need.

TOMS, shortened from Shoes for Tomorrow, doesn’t just send the shoes to remote places. All the shoes are taken on Shoe Drops around the world.

According to the TOMS Web site, after a year of business Mycoskie had more than 10,000 shoes to give to children and those in need. By December 2009 more than 400,000 pairs had been given to children with bare feet.

TOMS is simply an organization that encourages and helps people to take action on something they may not have thought of on their own.

Junior Amelia Lepping said that this generation takes action and vocalizes what is valued and what is believed in life, so why not show that by wearing a pair of shoes?

It’s not just the cause. Lepping bought her first pair because of the message during a summer in Houston while working with youth and the homeless but continued because she likes the shoes.

“They are comfortable since I never know where I will be or what I will do, so they are the perfect shoe,” said Lepping. “It’s a big plus that they support a good cause.”

Many agree with Teske and Lepping. With the TOMS Club approved a few weeks ago, the first meeting brought more than 10 different majors to the group. From music and education to zoo science, students agree with the message of TOMS and want to reach out to the world.

Though no regular day to meet has been announced, the group plans to continue meeting and hopes to host activities and awareness for One Day Without Shoes, a day to raise awareness for those in need, on April 8.