Could you go one day without shoes? Today I did and so did some really cool people who I know. All day I went without shoes and socks. I went about my regular routine today on this chilly Chicago day, and the concrete was quite chilly I might add. It was for a great cause though, Toms Shoes, to bring awareness to children that have to live EVERYDAY without shoes.It’s funny how even though people didn’t say anything, I could feel them glancing over at my feet, like why doesn’t she have on any shoes.

If you ever feel like having shoes aren’t important, go without them for a day, and you will have a new respect for the soles of your shoes.

Did you know?

• 30,000 people live in just one landfill in the Philippines, where children walk over broken glass, syringes and debris each day. source: asian development bank
• 1,890,000 Kenyan children are infected with jiggers, burrowing fleas that cause painful lesions. source: ahadi kenya trust
• 4,000,000 people have podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by living barefoot in volcanic soil. source: g.davey
• 740,000,000 people are affected by hookworm, a soil-transmitted parasite that can cause intestinal pain, weakness and cognitive impairment. source: who

Toms Shoe’s not only look fashionable, but you rest in knowing that someone else is benefiting from your purchase. Toms donates for every shoe purchased, a pair of shoes for a child in need around the world. As of 2010 Toms has donated over 1 million new pairs of shoes to children all over the world.

Today was a really eye-opening and humbling experience, most of us have dozens of shoes and we take for granted those that are less fortunate and can’t afford one pair, and I am so proud to have been apart of the One Day #withoutshoes Movement.

I wanted to send a special shout out to the people I know that participated, whether they went totally without shoes or couldn’t because of their jobs and wore their Toms today! Great job Tim, Tia, Onika…..and TAYLOR! Taylor saw me this morning and I told her what I was doing and why, she said “Mommy, I want to do it too” So I let her go to school barefoot and once she got there she put on her shoes. We joined people from around the world on this special day of awareness.

To learn more about Toms or the One Day Challenge check out www.toms.com or www.onedaywithshoes.com.