Today is a huge day at HQ. We are having 32 sales reps from Canada come into the office, so interns and employees alike are scrambling to get everything in perfect order before our guests arrive! Not to mention the boss-man Blake is back in the office after several weeks on a speaking tour, so everyone is on their toes! Alt Sales intern Dianna has been busy making gift baskets and center pieces while Retail and Giving interns Grace and Amanda are hustling retail displays out the door before the mail man arrives. Creative intern Carly and Travis the office manager are sprucing up some of the walls as well.  All of the interns have been working together to plan what we will do for TOMS 4^th Birthday coming up on May 5^th.  We have so many exciting ideas in the works and we also have some cool stuff planned for our TOMS family across the world! We present to our marketing directors on Tuesday, so stay tuned… and wish us luck!

Beware to all rushing around HQ today ! Wet paint… and busy interns!

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From left to right: Amanda, Heather, Julia, Jessie, Dianna, Sarah, Mike, Grace, Alex, Carly, David and our intern coordinator Caroline in front

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Since we haven’t gotten to see each other much outside of work, Grace, Julia, and I (the only interns actually living together) decided to have all of the interns over to our house for a potluck on Thursday after work.  When Thursday afternoon finally arrived, everyone was eager for 5:00 to come so we could start the party.  The problem was… no one had actually gotten food to bring yet.  Including us…  No big deal, we would just make a collective trip to the grocery store to pick up some goodies.  One hour, three trips back inside and a couple bags of orange chicken and enchiladas (awesome combination, I know…) later, we had FINALLY made up our mind.  Disclaimer: I do not ever recommend going to the grocery store with 8 hungry, indecisive interns.  We all stayed civil, but I’m not gonna lie, I was eating the bag of chips in the check-out line way before I paid for them.  Once we finally got the potluck started, we had an absolute blast.  We took turns blasting our favorite music, told our pre-TOMS stories, stuffed our faces, and learned a few new things about each other.  Every time we get together I feel even luckier to have the opportunity to work among such an incredible, diverse group of people, and this time was certainly no exception.  After the potluck, a few of us ventured to a local spot down the street and danced the night away.

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Little by little I have gotten to know my fellow interns during our lunch hour.  Since we don’t live together, it has been tricky trying to find time to really get to know everyone.  We have official “intern lunches” on Tuesdays and Thursdays where we all sit outside at the picnic tables and pick the brain of one of the TOMS managers.  This week it was Sydney from Customer Service and Kellen and Donna from the Creative team.  It was cool hearing what exactly their jobs at TOMS entail, as well as the obligatory embarrassing stories from when they first started at TOMS.  It definitely makes you breathe a little easier to realize that everyone goes through this “new kid” phase.  The rest of the days we all took lunch break together so that we could chat and catch up, choosing to sit outdoors and enjoy the (finally) sunny California weather!

Friday was “Fun Friday,” a monthly tradition at TOMS.  On the last Friday of every month, we have a few hours of FUN as an office.  This month all of us headed down the street,  switched out our TOMS for some pretty goofy looking bowling shoes, and spent a couple hours cheering each other on at the bowling alley.   One of the interns, Heather, is pretty much a bowling prodigy and blew everyone away with her mad skills.  Fun Friday did not disappoint and we all left feeling super optimistic about the next five months.  After bowling, several of the interns went to dinner at a really cool restaurant in Venice.  It was nice to FINALLY hang out and relax together outside of work.  L.A. is so huge that although we may work at the same place, some of us live up to an hour away from each other!! While we had a few embarrassing moments last week, Friday definitely served as an opportunity to laugh them off and bond over this insane experience.

On the right, David the Friends of TOMS intern bowls a strike. Notice on the left our graceful intern coordinator Caroline as she exhibits her impeccable bowling form.

Interns Heather, Grace, Carly, Dianna, and me at Nikki’s in Venice!

On Sunday, our intern coordinator Caroline took a few of us to Runyon Canyon so that we could experience L.A. from a different point of view.  After a pretty intense (for me, anyway) hike up the side of the mountain, we were treated to breathtaking views of this place we now call home.  It was incredible how much you could see up there.  All that went through my mind was…Wow. I am so lucky to be here.

And as I sit here at my desk, staring at the wall made of shoe boxes, I can’t help but feel absolutely giddy that this is only just the beginning.

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On my journey from Georgia I made a stop at the Grand Canyon.  Wearing my TOMS in the snow, no doubt!

After only a few days on the job, I can tell that working at TOMS is going to be intense.  But then again, so is anything that’s actually worthwhile.  We walked into the large warehouse that houses TOMS HQ in Santa Monica last Thursday for the first time, nervous, excited, and not sure what to expect.  We had come from far and wide; Connecticut, Georgia, Arizona, Texas, California, Kansas, and oh yeah… Germany.  I think it is safe to say the TOMS mission is inspiring people all over the globe!  Our first day on the job was spent getting “oriented.” Our awesome intern coordinator, Caroline, showed us the ropes and introduced us to several of the employees.  We chilled in a conference room for most of the day as each manager came back to introduce themselves and explain their position at TOMS.    It was surreal.  I think it is safe to say that all of us were on cloud nine… were we REALLY here? Was that ACTUALLY Blake Mycoskie that just walked by?

Some of the interns gathering for the first time at TOMS HQ!

Hard at work already in the Online department “office.” One wall is made completely out of old TOMS shoe boxes!

We got to sleep in a little on Friday and were told to report to the office at 10:30 to be introduced to the ENTIRE staff.  I’m not gonna lie… I was pretty nervous.  I knew we were going to have to stand in front of everyone and introduce ourselves and would have about ten seconds to convince everyone that we were funny and cool.  However, as soon as Caroline led us into the room with all the other TOMS employees, any previous jitters immediately disappeared.  Everyone was hanging around in a circle and gave us a round of applause when we walked in.  And standing in front wearing bright green sweatpants and clapping loudest of all was the man himself, Blake– the brains behind the whole operation.  He was so cool and welcomed us all to the family.  Because TOMS is just that, a family, and we were now a part of it.

Our new boss!

And then, of course, we still had to stand in front of the 60+ staff and introduce ourselves, but everyone was super nice and at least pretended to laugh at our jokes.  After our meeting, we got right to work, and I’ve got to say it was quite a rush.  Working in an environment like the one at TOMS makes you actually WANT to work, because you know you’re doing it for a reason bigger than yourself, bigger than a paycheck.

Our intern coordinator, Caroline, introduces new intern Grace to the TOMS staff

Well, that is all for now, my friends.  I hope you all will enjoy keeping up with the adventures we are about to embark on at TOMS.  Stay tuned…

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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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To all of our stellar interns: Good luck in the future, you will always have a home here at TOMS and we look forward to hearing about all the amazing things you will soon accomplish outside of our big warehouse door.

See ya!

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It’s that time again everyone! Summer has arrived and brought a stellar new class of interns.

We have a small but eager group- nearly 4,000 applicants competed for only 10 spots, so we know these guys will be ready to crank.

Week one in school is typically filled with syllibi and skipping class for one last beach day, but TOMS interns get right to work making a serious impact on this company. They’ll build and manage entire programs, they will collaborate on major projects, and their opinions and suggestions will be heard… and requested.

To the Summer ‘09 Intern class who might be reading this, travel safe to LA and we can’t wait to start working with all of you!!

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This verse could very well be our motto for being a Vagabond. We are all the most eclectic and different group of people. Many of us would not be friends had we met on the street. However, this experience with the good and the bad, has bonded us for life. We can all identify with almost every emotion the other felt for the past 5 months. We really did lean on one another and each and every one of these people have become my family.

It is with a heavy heart that I say “goodbye” to you TOMS fanatics out there that enjoy reading about our adventures. And with an even heavier heart and hung head that I say goodbye to all of the other Vagabonds and the TOMS family in general. All of you passionate about TOMS out there, you inspire US! Meeting you, feeling your love, being welcomed into your schools and homes was an honor. The acceptance we got just by being TOMS vagabonds was beyond amazing.

We have shared the hardest and greatest of times together and you guys have been there to have a birds eye view of all of our adventures. We cried, we laughed, we fell and we got back up. Many times, you guys helped us back up. Your passion invigorated us when our drives were too long or our heads were cloudy. From the bottom of everything in my heart, I thank each and every one of you that we encountered on this tour.

TOMS is forever the collective love of my life and being a part of this process was the greatest adventure I ever got myself into! Getting thousands of shoes on the feet of children in need is the coolest and most fabulous accomplishment I think I have made in life. I couldn’t have done any of it without the help of the entire Vagabond group.

Team Southwest rocked the west coast back and forth and even took our moves into Oklahoma and Texas. We had more fun with everyone out there than we can put into words! We spread love and compassion to everyone in our path, and they gave it back to us ten fold. Bernadette treated us well, we drove her hard! This “season” in our lives might be over, but we will forever be your TOMS girls. Keep us in your hearts, as we will continue to keep you in ours forever!

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As a group of interns we all dressed up with mustaches (see picture in my previous post) and headed out for an amazing evening where we were all encouraged to express ourselves because of the liberty that we have. There was live music and screenings of three short films, two of witch were by Alex Beh. We also learned how passionate Sean is about Falling Whistles. For those of you who don’t know what Falling Whistles is, here is a little bit of their story:

Sean went on a shoe drop with Blake, after that shoe drop his life took a dramatic turn. He spent lots of time traveling and finding himself and his place in this crazy, hectic, scary, beautiful world. He did some work with Invisible Children, learned, and grew.

His steps lead him to the Congo and here is where the real story begins… Some strange circumstances led him and his fellows to meet a group of boys, these boys had escaped two of the rebel armies in the Congo. They found them in a military encampment called Titu. Because these boys had chosen not to fight they were treated as “Enemies of the State,” forced into this prison and made to stand all night, all under the age of 15, they had not eaten in over 48 hours.

These boys (and all the other citizens of the Congo) had no refuge. All people wielding guns were not to be trusted. There was no room to believe in safety, a term that is unheard of there. Lindsay convinced Sean and they bought the boys food, soap, clothes, shoes, and a toothbrush. These gifts, seen as commonplace here were a saving grace to these boys. The simple bananas that were given were the first food they had that was not rotten since the last time they had seen their families.

While waiting for the UN to respond and act on a promise to rescue each of these boys they spoke to them and found out that each had been abducted, taken from their families with no warning, tied up, beaten, and forced to kill. One of the boys told of being dropped in a deep hole with 300 others, forced to stay for 20 hours of the day, all the while living in their own feces, waiting for the four hours a day when they were taken and trained in fighting and firing a gun.

These stories make you cringe, but this is only the beginning. This is where Sean’s heart broke and the floodgates to this amazing story come to full force. The boys also spoke of Whistle Blowers. These small boys, too small to carry a gun and use it, were simply given a whistle and put on the front lines. The only job these small boys had was to use their whistles to make enough noise to “scare the enemy” and to be the frontline and take the first round of bullets. These small children were to serve as a temporary barricade. The ones who try to run, are shot from behind. This is to serve as a reminder to the others to “be brave.” They are left with no way to protect themselves from either side of the line. “With falling whistles, their only choice is to feign death or face it.”

Strange as it may seem, telling their stories brought a sense of hope to the boys. In a small and cramped prison there was a light within each of them that could be seen. But their story is not over yet.

There was some hold up with the UN and the rescuing of the boys had been put on Unicef. With some fast talking and quick moving all was resolved and the trucks to take the boys out were let in the compound; however that didn’t mean they would be let out. Sean watched as these five boys who had been planning their escape for weeks were set free and their dreams finally becoming a reality.

After hearing their stories and knowing that there was hope, Sean asked “Am I even capable of helping such madness?” That’s where YOU come in. Be a whistleblower. Let everybody know that this cannot stand. These small children are not toys to be lined up and shot at, they are human life, pure, beautiful human life. With your purchase of a whistle, Sean will give to help these children be taken from this death sentence. The ones that are taken out of the Congo will also go through Art Therapy to help them learn to cope and come to terms with what they’ve experienced.

Please, don’t sit by idle and let these children die in vain. We CAN help. We CAN make a difference. Write to your congressman and let them know that you want to see something done. There is power in the masses, let’s not let the whistles fall on deaf ears any longer.

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