Wednesday, March 26, 2008
For every pair they purchase, a pair will be
given to poor child by California company
By DEBORAH YOUNG
As Wagner College students walk to class over wet lawns and cold, rough concrete paths, each step is softened by the good soles of the shoes protecting their feet.
On Saturday, they will have a chance to be “good souls” themselves, by taking part in an activity that combines two great pleasures of college life: Shopping and making art for self-expression.
On sale at the Grymes Hill Campus’ Union Patio will be plain, white shoes. Stencils, paint and other decorations will be supplied so students can add their unique stamp of creativity to the canvas shoes.
And with each purchase, students will be funding footwear for a child living in a part of the world where shoes are still an out-of-reach luxury.
“You’re spending money on something you need, and you’re also helping somebody else. It makes it more meaningful,” said sophomore Kelliann Volsario, 19, who is behind the activity co-sponsored by the campus’s Alpha Phi Omega community service organization. “People are always so intimidated by trying to make a difference. This is easy. I could just buy a pair of shoes, and it will make a difference in somebody’s life.” Miss Volsario decided to take the step toward bettering the world after contacting the California-based Toms Shoes. The company’s unique business strategy states that for every pair of shoes it sells, it donates a pair to children in need.
Saturday’s event will be one of nearly a dozen stops on Toms “Shoenanigans Sell Your Soul,” held so far this month at colleges in Texas, Florida and New York.
“We found that the generation coming up now is very socially aware, and we thought this is a great way for people to come together to spread the Toms cause to everyone around them,” said Allison Dominguez, speaking for the company.
So far, the company has given away 60,000 pairs of shoes — 10,000 in Argentina and 50,000 in South Africa. Employees take part by helping to fit the children and handing them the shoes.
“I was attracted to this because it’s so different,” said Miss Volsario.
For those not feeling the creative urge to design their own shoes, it is possible to put the $40 purchase price toward a ready-made pair from the Toms line, Ms. Dominguez said.
So far, 20 people have ordered shoes, and many more have pledged to buy the shoes at the open-to-the-public event scheduled for 4 p.m.
