TOMS at USC hosts annual march
Despite Tuesday evening’s wind and rain, TOMS at USC still made its second annual One Day Without Shoes march through campus.
“I know it’s raining and gross, but that’s what One Day Without Shoes is about,” said TOMS at USC founder Katie Winn, a fourth-year public relations student. “It’s about experiencing for oneday what some people experience their entire lives.”
The annual event began at colleges across the country with the founding of TOMS in 2006 to help bring awareness to the millions of people — particularly children — who are forced to gobarefoot, according to the TOMS website.
The 20 or so barefoot attendees of the friendly group were each entered into a raffle drawing with the chance of winning one of two pairs of TOMS donated by the Salty Nut Cafe and Bohemian, as well as a signed copy of “Start Something That Matters” by TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie. Jimmy John’s subs and other sandwiches were served in the Horseshoe after the walk to Capstone House and back.
“People notice when you go barefoot,” said Timothy Gibson, a second-year math and computer science student. “I got asked a lot today about why I wasn’t wearing shoes, so I think it brings awareness to the program. I noticed not too many people were doing it today, but it was really big last year.”