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Tell us your TOMS story. We would love to share it!

Email us at Ashley.Powell@TOMSshoes.com or send via mail: 3025 Olympic Blvd Studio C Santa Monica, CA 90404.

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We want to hear your TOMS story! Email us at Ashley.Powell@TOMSshoes.com, or send via snail mail: 3025 Olympic Blvd Studio C Santa Monica, CA 90404.

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New Orleans though, was the perfect opportunity for me to see the ultimate result of my work. It was an incredible experience in that respect. To put shoes on the feet of children and know that the little things that I do, combined with the little things the team back at HQ do, can have such a undeniably profound effect on so many individuals and even an entire city or region.

The schools we visited were amazing. As inspiring as the TOMS movement is, the individuals that facilitated our drops – the teachers and administrators who worked at the New Orleans schools – were equal heroes in my mind. They welcomed us into their schools with open arms, and it was quickly evident that they are working toward many of the same goals we have at TOMS. They are trying to impact as many people as possible in a positive way. It was inspiring to see people devote their time and energy to creating a culture of learning that is undeniably going to help so many children do amazing things in the future.

One child told me that he had seen the AT&T commercial and wanted to go to a different country to help Blake. I was floored to learn firsthand, just how far-reaching our message has become and realized that we could very well be putting shoes on the feet of future Chief Shoe Givers. And why stop at Chief Shoe Giver? One student told me that he put an American flag on his shoes because he planned on being the President of the United States.These teachers are really doing everything they can to make these kinds of goals a reality, equipping these children with everything they need to succeed, despite not having the opportunities or resources that other schools in the country might have.

I was amazed at the sheer quantity of shoes that we were going through at times, and I realized why we work so hard at HQ to promote our products and our movement. Because of the generosity of TOMS supporters, we were able to not just help out some children at these schools, but all of them. It felt great to really do a job right and leave knowing that you touched every student in at least a small way. I will never forget my experience, and the spirit of New Orleans and its people will have a lasting impact on all the work I do for TOMS in the future. This is a city that may need help, but it is also a city filled with people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and commit to making it a better New Orleans every day. I’m lucky to have been a small part of that.

Shamus Eaton
Editorial Assistant – Creative Department – TOMS Shoes HQ

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This is Zak (yes he wears a pancho most days)

Zak was a summer intern at TOMS when we started in June. He left us in August and headed back to CU Boulder to finish school. Not being a big advocate of formal education myself (I dropped out of SMU after 2 years), I called Zak back in October with a proposition. The deal was simple: He would put school on hold and become captain of the ship (or in our case, Airstream) His responsibilities would include driving 100% of the time, keeping all major Airstream facilities working (including all dumping of waste), and basically everything in between to keep the tour running smoothly.

He would be paid 500 dollars a month, but all his living expenses would be covered while on tour. Besides drive time, he would only be required to work � days, and I would let him pick which half he wanted to work, any 12 hours a day would be fine with me.

Zak accepted my offer without any hesitation and thankfully his parents blessed the decision shortly thereafter.

Ok, so back to our first long stretch of open road, we decided to set some ground rules�.first was we would no longer use the toilet in the Airstream unless it was absolutely necessary, we would BOTH be required to shower once every 48 hours (but no longer than 3 minutes due to small hot water tank), and each day had to begin with brushing of the teeth�.yes most of our first rules dealt with smells or trying to avoid them, but that seemed to be the most logical place to start.

Now being on the road causes you to reflect, the open road, setting sun, it all makes you wander what, if anything, is my life lacking, or how could I improve myself, and during our first long stretch a few shortcomings became evident. First Zak cusses really bad. I would say it is a result of a lack of vocabulary, but he insists it is �college life��regardless; it had to be dealt with. Next, I bite my fingernails when I am bored or nervous. This bothers some people more than others, but having ugly hands is probably not good when you sell shoes for a living (I bet Al Bundy had regular manicures)�so, in hopes of ridding ourselves of these bad habits, we created a little game to pass the time.

Each time Zak cusses and I call him out on it, he pays me 5 dollars. Each time he catches me biting my nails, I pay him 5 dollars. And, if either of us brings up our ex-girlfriend in any context whatsoever, we pay the other person 20 dollars. To date, Zak owes me 60 dollars (I will not say where the bulk of winnings come from, but let�s just say Zak likes to talk when he has a few beers).

So, we arrived in Phoenix around 10 and found a spot to park in an open lot. The only other vehicle was a �tour bus� and we could hear loud music coming from down the street, so naturally we followed it. The cover was 10 dollars a person, but when Zak told the bouncer about the kids, we got � price�truth be told he does not even explain what TOMS does, but every time we get in a bind, he just starts saying �the kids��but so far, I has worked so go figure�As soon as we stepped in the bar, I could have sworn we were on the set of a VH1 back to the 80�s special. We were the youngest people by at least 10 years�every dude had a headband and/or rat tale and 3 out of 5 girls a perm�seriously, and they all were rocking out, lighters in the air and all.

The Band was Winger, and if anyone reading this blog owns their cd (or more likely album), I must say you are a lucky son of a b*&@^ (don�t want to lose 5 dollars to zak)�.well these guys absolutely rocked�by the end of the second set, Zak was crowd surfing and hitting on women who also drove large vehicles for a living�at least they had something to talk about.

After Winger�s second encore, we headed over to this super swanky bar with a lot yuppies, girls in tight outfits, and expensive drinks�.personally I preferred the perms and 2 dollar beer. About 10 minutes after sitting down at a table, Zak turns to me and says, �see that girl over there�, inconspicuously pointing to a really cute girl in all black, �she keeps on starring at me, what should I do?� I told him to hang tight, play it cool, but he persisted, �seriously, she keeps looking at me like she wants my attention, she is totally in to me, I knew my sweater vest look would work here in AZ� Just as I was about to tell him that he was nuts, she started walking over. Zak, just winked at me and pulled over an extra chair motioning for her to take a seat. Instead she pushed it to the side, and said, � What can I get you to drink?� Zak, still not realizing that she was our cocktail waitress kind of stuttered so I ordered a bud light and gave her my card to open a tab�it was going to be long night

ALSO, very important, we have our first (or should I say kick off video…which working title is TOMS Tour Chronicle, episode 1)…click here for your viewing pleasure

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