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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

One Day With Out Shoes....

Hello again to my blog followers, and everyone else that reads this! I am hoping that some of you may have already seen this and are interested in participating, because I HOPE you are!



I took the following information straight from the TOMS onedaywithoutshoes.com web site. I think that they wrote it best, I am just linking you to them.




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One Day Without Shoes is the day we spread awareness about the impact a simple pair of shoes can have on a child’s life. On April 8th, we ask people to go the day, part of the day or even just a few minutes, barefoot, to experience a life without shoes first-hand, and inspire others at the same time.

It’s Hard Without Shoes

Through everyday encounters with domestic poverty, we are reminded to appreciate having food and shelter, but most of us all but forget about our feet. Food, shelter, AND shoes facilitate life’s fundamentals. Imagine a life without shoes; constantly aware of the ground in front of you, suffering regular cuts and scrapes, tending to infection after each walk, and enduring not only terrain, but heat and cold.

The problem is large, but the solution is simple. Wearing shoes and practicing basic hygiene can prevent both infection and disease due to unsafe roads and contaminated soil. By imagining a life barefoot, we can all contribute to the awareness of these conditions. On April 8th, communities, campuses, organizations, and individuals are banding together to walk barefoot for One Day Without Shoes.


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Take a walk with us on April 8th, 2010.

Facts:

• In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to school, clean water and to seek medical help.

• Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.

• Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.

• In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.

• Podoconiosis is 100% preventable with basic foot hygiene and wearing shoes.

Learn more about our mission and giving at www.TOMS.com.

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Today at work, I work at Oak Hills High School, I gave out fliers. I posted them on bulletin boards here also at VVC where I work On my way to work tonight I am leaving about 30 minutes earlier to post them on the boards at all of the Starbucks that are on my way. I know that this event is tomorrow, but I urge you to share this through Facebook, Twitter, your blogs, your e-mail…whatever means you can, I think that this is a very important cause that can really make us think.


I can honestly say that although my kids are not in need to shoes now, when they are, we will be purchasing TOMS shoes. We will talk about the importance of why we are buying TOMS shoes and where the other pair is going.


As many of you know, Eireland has a VERY soft heart. (Yes, she is a bit feisty at times…ok, lots of times! But when it comes down to it she has a very soft heart!) This is a passion of hers believe it or not. The idea that other little girls do not have shoes when she has a few pairs just does not seem fair to her. It also is making us think about wants and needs. Yes, it would be nice to have shoes that were more dressy for church, but does he NEED those? No. This has been a great conversation starter for our kids, and I hope that it is for your too.

If you choose to participate, then please, will you leave comments? E-mail me? Something? I would love to know how this has made your family think about giving, sharing or about anything! Tell me your experience and One LUCKY person will win a $10 gift card to TOMS! I am not going to pick at random, I REALLY want to hear how this has effected your family, how this has made you think. I will pick based on which story was the most touching...most inspired....and it will be just me picking the winner.  I just wanted to be honest! This will come out of my own pay, so, please, respect my decision in picking the winner.  Spread the word! And, walk a day with out shoes. Find out more information regarding One Day With Out Shoes

Oh, Ps! pictures will be added later! :)

7 comments:

  1. Hey Rhiannon..I have already posted this on my facebook and getting ready to post in on my blog which will send that link back to facebook and my twitter. Wasn't you the one making fun of me for doing this so late? I called all of my friends in my address book and told them to take a look at the website and to come walking with me "barefooted" just down my sidewalk and back...just so we can get a personal viewpoint of how it would be without shoes. We all have shoes...and I know I have way more than just one pair! And Lyla has more shoes than I do! I have never gone a day without shoes. If you look up how many diseases you can catch through your bare feet..it is astounding! Sorry this is a book..I'll wrap it up. My friends and I are walking a mile without shoes and this morning we went around and told different businesses and posted flyers in convient stores..but we have made a promise to do this every year and since this year was kinda last notice we are doing what we can..but next year we plan to really organize an event! Lyla is to young to really understand where the other pair of shoes are going she just tells that they are "cute". But I love doing stuff like this so she grows up in the midst of knowing that we are fornuate...just for having shoes..and she needs to do things like this to help out less fornuate people!

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  2. LOL! Nikki! I was 'making fun' of you for doing this on Wednesday instead of Thursday! But I admire your spirit girl! I understand what you mean about having the late notice, I mean, I just posted this on my Blog this morning! And such, however I too would like to host some kind of event for next year...not sure where, or how, but there is plenty of time to plan and get ideas and such! Thank you so much for sharing my passion and my interest! Also thanks for sharing your experience...you are entry #1 for winning the $10 TOMS gift certificate! Way to Go Nikki! Please encourage your friends to enter too! Spread the word!

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  3. Hi Rhiannon
    Believe it or not I came from a very poor family and we did not get shoes very often. I was still lucky enough to have shoes to wear to school and such but at home I was barefoot. If you saw the environment surrounding where I was walking barefoot it would scare you. Seriously the first time dh looked at where I grew up he asked me how I survived. Of course my reply was the lord because he has and always take care of me. Today I am so thankful that I have shoes to wear any where even at home. I think this is a great cause to support and you are such a loving and caring person to post this. I hope more people will see this and learn that its more than being thankful for things like housing and food but to think of the diseases coming from going barefoot. God Bless You.

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  4. Amber, WOW! Thank you for supporting this! It is amazing how much I have thought about shoes in the past few days! I mean, come on! SHOES!!! I will be blogging later on tonight about my whole experience and how emotional this has been for me, I mean come on! again...SHOES! Today, I walked barefoot in the AMPM parking lot. If you don't know, that is a gas station, and I made it through most of first period with out them, then got caught and in trouble. They are now back on. Not a problem there is still a lot of the day left, and the REAL point of all of this is to bring awareness! Which, at least for myself I am doing. I can not wait to share my thoughts and feelings about this day.

    Thank you also for sharing my blog on your FB. I really wanted to get the word out, I know it was SO late, but I think better late than never. Thank you again!

    <3 Rhiannon

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  5. Rhiannon.. this has brought tears to my eyes. It IS a great cause, and I will be talking to my girls about it when they get home from school today. We know what it is like to go without shoes. With our financial problems this year, when the kids grew out of their shoes, I didn't have any money to buy them new shoes. The girls wore their old shoes to school and would come home complaining of sore feet and blisters. My son would go barefoot at home, and I would not take him to the store with me. He did end up hurting himself a few times. Thankfully, out of the blue, someone donated a bag of clothes to me.... with shoes in it!! They didn't know about our problem with shoes, they were just giving away some old shoes. It was really one of those miracles when I opened the bag and found used shoes in just the right sizes for each of my 3 children.
    Now, they happily wear their hand-me-downs to school, and my son is able to come with me to the store. I look forward to a time when I can buy them NEW shoes, because the old shoes still tend to cause blisters, but we have all learned to be thankful for what we have! I was blessed by people giving me shoes for my kids, and I believe this is an important cause... everyone should have access to shoes, because they are more important than you think!
    Thanks for posting this, Rhiannon!

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  6. Rhiannon~While my allergies have kept me from participating this year....I am hoping that next year I can get with my ABF at church & perhaps some of the other groups to do this! We women like to have a pr of shoes for everything...we forget how blessed we are to be able to have 1 pr of shoes let alone several pairs. No child should ever HAVE to go barefoot...choosing to do so to feel sand squish between your toes or grass under your feet is a different story! God bless you for doing such a great thing Rhi. You are teaching your kids so much...and your community!

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  7. Wendy---again! A HUGE tear jerker! WOW! I am so blessed by your story, SO blessed, beyond words! I am honestly...speechless! I can not wait to share your story with my kids...

    Hope---Thanks for the support! I hope that next year I can do something even bigger, because like you said, no child should have to go with out shoes. I am thinking that not only would I like to have a shoe drive, I would like to make it so where we can set it up to purchase gift cards from TOMS or something and give them out, you know like sponsor a child who we KNOW does not have shoes or something....you know? LOTS to think about! Just an idea! There are several things spinning in my head about not just what to do next year, but perhaps what to do in the time in between!

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