Students on both campuses of Salmon Arm Secondary and Shuswap Middle School will go barefoot for change April 5.
One Day Without Shoes is an event to help raise awareness of the impact a simple pair of shoes can bring to a child’s life, says organizer Sarah Corless, who saw information on the annual event hosted by TOMS Shoes online last August. For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS gives a pair to a child in need.
“One for One. They go to many developing countries where children have to walk barefoot to receive clean water, attend school or go get medical help,” she says. “It is said that if the world was a village of 100 people, 40 would not have shoes.”
Corless hopes the event will raise curiosity, leading to conversation that eventually results in change.
“There is no fundraising in this event, no money that needs to get collected to participate; it’s all for raising awareness to a need that is so big,” Sarah says. Participants will be able to record their footprint on a large poster that signifies “I went barefoot so a child didn’t have to.”
“It is so inspiring to see that as youth we can profoundly affect children across the world,” says Sarah, who is a bit surprised and very pleased with the support she has received. “If you could change the lives of children with a simple gesture, would you do for one day what millions do every day?”