The Channels

Issue date: 3/16/09 Section: Features

Media Credit: James Sinclair Claire McCabe, the TOMS shoes committee leader, models the charitable shoes

Imagine that, on a perfect day, you purchase a pair of shoes and manage to escape the inevitable feeling of buyer's remorse that follows.

On April 25, City College students can make this dream a reality. Sigma Chi Eta, the honors communication club, will host an event called "Style Your Sole."

The club is organizing a global outreach event in cooperation with the company TOMS Shoes. The event will be held in honor of World Malaria Day.

"The event will inspire students to think and act on a global level," said Claire McCabe, the TOMS shoes committee leader.

Since its start in 2006, TOMS has given over 130,000 pairs of shoes to children living in poverty.

"Students that seek to make a difference in the world can start with an act as small as purchasing a pair of shoes," McCabe added.

The company has established a "One for One" movement, where they donate one pair of shoes for every pair sold. The company donates the shoes to children in need, primarily in places like Argentina and Africa.

Sigma Chi Eta will participate in the global phenomenon by hosting the event to raise awareness for poverty in Africa.

Students will be able to personalize their own pair of TOMS shoes at the event. McCabe said that the club will provide materials like spray paint, chalk and sharpies for decorating the shoes. There will also be homemade Africa stencils for students to use in their designs.

Students who pre-order their pair of TOMS through Sigma Chi Eta will receive a five-dollar discount.

There will also be fundraising to purchase nets in Africa, in an effort to prevent the spread of malaria.

"We want to motivate students to become more involved in current affairs by demonstrating how personally rewarding this can be," McCabe said.

TOMS shoes was originally started by Blake Mycoskie, a former contestant on the reality TV-show "The Amazing Race." His primary focus is to prevent podoconiosis, an enervating disease that causes extreme swelling and deformity in the feet and legs.

Sigma Chi Eta will host a TOMS shoes pre-sale from April 6 to April 9 at a table in front of the Luria Library on West Campus.

The club has high hopes for the event, and expects to see a lively turnout.

"I truly believe that we can help change lives by beginning with this single step," McCabe said.

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