Hi! I’m Ana Maria, and I work on the giving side of TOMS. The best part of my job is traveling to new destinations and hand placing shoes on children’s feet with other passionate volunteers.

Students in New Orleans, LA were fitted with their own pair of new TOMS shoes this past week. They put marker to canvas to design a special pair for themselves, and ran around all afternoon on the playground with the volunteers.

With some families in New Orleans still rebuilding their homes (both figuratively and literally), providing new shoes was a special way for TOMS to bring joy into the community. Even at the school level, it is common for staff to purchase clothes, shoes, and other necessities for their students out of their own pocket. When asked about the need for shoes, the school’s social worker spoke of several kids walking on the heels of their shoes, not because they were too lazy to put them on properly, but because the shoes were too small and hurt their feet.

Although the language barrier creates a unique connection between volunteer and child on an Argentina Shoe Drop, its an entirely different experience when you can ask the child what their favorite cartoon character is or what they like to do on the weekend. You see these children in such a familiar environment, engaging with one another in such a familiar way, and yet some are in need of a new pair of shoes. It’s empowering to help these children whom we share our culture, our heritage, and our country with.

We will return to New Orleans this fall and continue to bring awareness to the need for shoes here in the States. Thank you for making happy feet and smiling faces possible all around the world!

Ana Maria

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Tags:   get involved · giving · guest blogger · new orleans · shoes · volunteer · volunteering
Categories: The Giving Side1 Comment