Last month, ECHS students took part in One Day Without Shoes to heighten awareness of health and educational issues for children worldwide. Sporting t-shirts hand painted with personal messages of support and walking in socks or bare feet, the students brought awareness to important world issues and showed support of loved ones battling adversity.
One Day Without Shoes is an annual, international event created by TOMS Shoes to raise awareness of the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child’s life.
Millions of children live without proper footwear, exposing them to injury and disease. TOMS was founded on the premise that with every pair of shoes someone purchases, a pair of new shoes will be given to a child in need. One for One™. One Day Without Shoes was created to call attention to the need for shoes around the world and the issues surrounding that need.
ECHS students chose to walk barefoot in support of a variety of issues on this day including cancer, war casualties, human trafficking, and gun violence. Just before the walk, student Katherinne Vanegas urged her peers to truly embrace this new experience.
“Step outside of your comfort zone and walk with us in honor of a cause close to your heart,” Katherinne said. “We encourage you to walk in silence, taking some time for yourself to stop and appreciate all you have in life.” Students accepted donations for their efforts. The event was coordinated by ECHS English teacher, Jane Wyche, who was proud of the fundraising results and the widespread support for the event.
“We raised over $300, which brings us just $100 shy of our $700 goal for the year” Wyche reported. “The money we raised will help fund another year of schooling for Busi, a student in South Africa.” Supporting Busi is part of These Numbers Have Faces – an international, education nonprofit.
You can check out ECHS’s One Day Without Shoes student-produced video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MHEcAzIHH0.
