By Stacey Axler<\/p>\n
Over 150 Hood students and professors participated in Frederick\u2019s One Day Without Shoes.<\/p>\n
One Day Without Shoes is an annual worldwide event where participating individuals do not wear shoes to raise awareness of the many children who are exposed to diseases and challenges because they cannot afford shoes.\u00a0 the event took place on Tuesday, April 10.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis event was important mainly to bring awareness and give a voice to those around the world who don\u2019t have the basic necessities of shoes. Plus, it reminds people to never take anything for granted,\u201d senior Jacob Ausherman, the student coordinator of the event, said.<\/p>\n
The event is supported by TOMS Shoes, a social justice business that gives a free pair of shoes to a child in need when a customer purchases a pair of shoes.<\/p>\n
\u201c[One Day Without Shoes] event was important because many people don’t know just how bad the situations are in other countries. Before you can fix a problem, you must be made aware of it,\u201d sophomore Jessica Rumke, who participated in the event, said.<\/p>\n
Rumke added, \u201cI participated because I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. If I can help make just one more person aware, than I have done my job because who knows where that one person will take it or how many more people they will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Participants in One Day Without Shoes met together on the steps of Alumnae Hall at 12:30 pm to walk through baker park and downtown Frederick barefoot.<\/p>\n
The participants gathered at the Velvet Lounge for the One Day Without Shoes block party the store hosted.\u00a0 The Velvet Lounge gave out prizes to certain participants such as free pairs of TOMS shoes.<\/p>\n
Throughout the rest of the day, the students went barefoot around campus and the surrounding community.\u00a0 However, some locations required students to wear shoes, such as the Coblentz Dining Hall and lab classes, for health and safety reasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cI participated because of my social work background. One of our responsibilities as a professional is to advocate for those who face inequalities or difficult situations. The other is that in order to better understand our clients we must \u2018start where the client starts.\u2019 By participating I am \u201cstanding in another person\u2019s shoes,\u201d and quite literally I can understand their pain. My feet were black by mid-day,\u201d Ausherman said.<\/p>\n
Along with the One Day Without Shoes event, a shoe drive took place on campus all week to collect shoe donations from individuals who wanted to provide for people around the world who walk barefoot daily.<\/p>\n
This is the second year that Hood College participated in the global One Day Without Shoes movement.<\/p>\n
The event gave the Hood campus and Frederick community an opportunity to gain a global perspective and experience the way less-fortunate individuals live.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings we have like clean water, access to medical resources, education, and shelter are not things other people around the world have as luxuries, or at all. It\u2019s always rewarding to see something you\u2019ve planned and spent any amount of time on to come together,\u201d Ausherman said.<\/p>\n
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