Brigade to go barefoot for Managua clinic

By Ali Napoli

Contributing Writer

The Bucknell Brigade is sponsoring University participation in TOMS Shoes’ international event One Day Without Shoes on Tuesday, April 10. In Lewisburg, the goal of the event is to raise awareness and benefit a health clinic the Brigade established in Nueva Vida, Nicaragua. Participants are encouraged to spend all day without shoes.

“We hope that students will go without shoes on, regardless of the weather, in recognition of all the people in this world who have to go every day of their lives without shoes,” said Katie McAvoy ’13, one of the event organizers.

The Brigade will be selling long-sleeved t-shirts that read “Barefoot for Nica” in the days leading up to the event. The money raised will go directly to the health clinic in Nueva Vida to cover utilities and doctors’ and nurses’ salaries.

“This day allows the Brigade to spread awareness of the extreme poverty that exists in Nicaragua and around the world. Traveling to Nicaragua and seeing the children running barefoot in the streets raised my awareness of the things we commonly take for granted, such as shoes. My hope is that all the participants in the Day Without Shoes will come away with a similar feeling,” Zach Kopelman ’13 said.

TOMS participates in the “One for One Movement,” so the company matches every pair of TOMS bought for personal usage with another pair for a child in need. TOMS has given pairs of shoes to more than 20 diverse countries ranging from Peru to South Africa.

The Brigade visits Nicaragua twice annually and first sponsored this event on campus three years ago.