TOMS Blog

In the fall of my sophomore year of college I walked into a surf shop in Lawrence, Kansas (because, you know, we do a lot of surfing in the Midwest) and saw some sweet chukka boots on the shelf. Turns out they were some TOMS Botas. It was in this quaint surf shop in the middle of the Kansas plains that I then heard about the TOMS One for One movement. Since then I have been an avid supporter. 

The spring of my sophomore year brought about a unique opportunity to help spread the One for One movement and share the story of a company that was doing business in a new way. Two of my good friends approached me one afternoon, knowing that I owned some TOMS, and asked if I was interested in joining them in planning the ultimate One Day Without Shoes on our campus. One Day Without Shoes is TOMS’ annual awareness day. Saying yes to hosting this event on our campus would turn out to be the best decision I could have made! 

We formed a TOMS Campus Club to start organizing activities for One Day Without Shoes. We planned events like a barefoot barbeque with an outdoor concert. The entire campus came together that day and it was so exciting to watch. Teachers, students, faculty, and even our president went barefoot to classes and events all day long. This is what is so great about TOMS Campus Programs; it inspires students to do great things. After our success with One Day Without Shoes, the three of us felt inspired by the TOMS giving model and tackled a new project with a focus on helping others. With just weeks left in the school year we rallied to raise funds for an orphanage in Africa that was established and is currently ran by one of our college’s alums. In just two short weeks we raised over a thousand dollars for a great cause, and it was all inspired by our work with TOMS Campus Programs. 

It turns out that my success on my campus with One Day Without Shoes wouldn’t be the end of my TOMS involvement, as I was offered a summer internship at TOMS headquarters in LA. So here I am writing this blog, and while my reign as Campus Programs Intern is quickly coming to an end, it seems necessary that I begin reminiscing about all that I’ve accomplished this summer at TOMS and in L.A. Just a short nine weeks ago I was taking a tour of HQ and doing the awkward first time introductions with the other interns and employees here at TOMS. During my time here, I was able to help with the TOMS Campus Programs video, which you can view online HERE, and work with the awesome students (that’s you) who help spread the One for One movement on campuses around the U.S. and Canada. Since then, I have established lifetime friends and have had the opportunity to get to know all of the incredible people who call TOMS home. 

I started my TOMS experience with a huge One Day Without Shoes on my campus this year and my involvement has grown to helping out at HQ for the summer. Being a part of TOMS Campus Programs and seeing firsthand what goes on at HQ has made me even more passionate about all the great things that TOMS is doing in the world through better business practices. Giving is the main focus here at HQ and giving will be at the heart of what I do everyday back at school.

It is incredible to see what all I have accomplished in such a short amount of time. I look forward to taking what I have learned here back to campus and applying it to our club… I have got some great ideas and plan to share them on the new Campus Programs Facebook page or Twitter! Keep it real campus supporters… and have a great school year. Stay in contact with the Campus team here at HQ, because, well… they’re awesome and love hearing from you! 

Cheers,

Chris Reimer

To learn more about TOMS Campus Programs and get involved, visit our site at www.TOMSCampusPrograms.com, Like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!