Patch Parades Tootsies for TOMS

Fact: "Hundreds of millions of children are at risk of injury, infection and soil-transmitted diseases" because they do not own a pair of shoes, according to TOMS.

Action: On April 5, thousands of people across the U.S., including your Patch editor, will spend one day without shoes in an effort to increase awareness of this fact.

TOMS, a shoe manufacturer known for its One for One program that matches every pair of shoes purchased with a new pair of shoes given to a child in need, is hosting One Day Without Shoes on April 5.

It will be business as usual for ODWS supporters, save for the fact that they will be performing all the functions of their day without the luxury of shoes. For anyone working in a capacity other than that of a yoga instructor or lifeguard, spending the day without shoes will no doubt spark conversation and in turn, help raise awareness of TOMS' global efforts.

While I would by no means classify myself as a shoe-aholic, I admit I am one of those individuals who owns several pairs of shoes that look exactly alike and were purchased more for vanity than practical use.

So today, I will leave my flats, flip-flops, boots and tennis shoes at home, and attend my interviews, run my errands and write my stories without shoes.

While I will unfortunately have to avoid businesses with a "no shoes, no service" policy, luckily for me, there is nothing in the Michigan Vehicle Code that prohibits barefoot driving, so you can expect to see me and my tootsies out and about all day.

(I will, of course, provide photos chronicling my adventure.)

That being said, I invite you, too, to take a barefoot stand against a risk that is so easily avoidable. Feel free to share your own photos on the Macomb Patch Facebook, or send them directly to jenny.whalen@patch.com and I'll add them to the ODWS photo gallery.

To learn more about TOMS and their One for One program, click here.