April 11, 2012
by Jacque Haag
Yesterday was One Day without Shoes, and as we mentioned in our recent blog post, the entire office participated. Though we were all at the office together for much of the day, each person had a different experience — something important they gleaned from the day. No matter what, most of us realized having shoes to wear is a luxury and a blessing.
I didn’t have any errands to run yesterday, but I did have Bible study last night. I walked across the gravel parking lot and into the church building. It was certainly strange walking into the church barefoot and dirty — in contrast with walking in dressed up on Sundays, wearing a nice pair of shoes from my collection.
Here are some other employees’ experiences:
“I wish I could say that I had some awesome experience [in public], but for me it was just come to work and go home,” said Accounts Manager Chrisy Lewis. ” The only part that got me was the cold ground in the morning and trying to lug the extra weight of a baby around on rocks … OUCH! That hurt.”
“Firstof all, it feels really weird to be at work without shoes,” said Controller Steve Standerwick. “When I was in the [BLI] kitchen yesterday morning, I felt like I was home on Saturday walking around in our kitchen. Funny how in our culture, shoes affect the way we feel. Second, it was just a reminder of how spoiled we are and what we take for granted. My feet are not very tough.”
“One Day without Shoes has always tugged at my heart strings because of how a lack of shoes affects children all over the world,” said Support Team Manager Renee’ Sampsel. “I have seen children living in poverty smile from ear to ear when I have put a new pair of shoes on their feet. What a small gift that we can give. It’s heartbreaking to see how filled with joy these kids are to get shoes and to know how I take this blessing for granted every day. If only we had ever had to do without so that we could truly understand how blessed we are.”
“I didn’t realize how cold your feet get until you don’t have the protection of wearing shoes,” said Accounting Assistant Carol Simmons. “People were very interested in my T-shirt, and they wanted to know how they could participate in One Day without Shoes. Everyone that I talked to thought it was a great idea and wondered why their businesses didn’t participate. Hopefully more businesses will participate next year.”
“By the time I got home last night, my feet were so itchy!” said Customer Service Rep Sandi Swint. ” I was so ready to wash my feet. Even without the paint [I decorated my feet with], it became very evident to me that shoes are not to be taken for granted. Of course I stepped on the occasional rock, but most of all, [I was shocked at] how dirty the bottoms of my feet were by the end of the day. It made me thankful to have shoes to wear.”
“Going without shoes was a cute thing to do at work. It got real after work, when I DIDN’T know what was on the floor and ground where I walked,” said Communications Coordinator Jana Neufeld. “The first stop was my mom’s nursing home, which was a little bit of a disturbing thought. Second stop, laundry mat. Disgusting, might I say. The parking lot was full of little pieces of rocks, glass, cigarette butts and who knows what else. The inside of the laundry mat was just as nasty. After I got my laundry into my apartment, I realized I had forgotten to check the mail. It would have been so easy to slip on my flip-flops lying there next to the door. But that’s not the point. I walked back down the stairs to my mailbox, just to find it empty. Touché. But the point was made. I could not wait to get up this morning and wear my shoes. It’s a comfort, but a luxury. I am lucky to have been born as a citizen in a First World country.”
“I took some trash to the Dumpster near my house while I was barefoot. I didn’t want to get near it,” said Lease Processor Kelly DeWald. ” Each step was calculated so that I wouldn’t go near any extra trash that had fallen. I read a statistic on the One Day without Shoes website that 30,000 people live in one landfill in the Philippines. I didn’t want to go NEAR the trash, and they walk barefoot in it every day. I think that impacted me the most.”
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If you would like to help a child in need receive a pair of shoes, consider purchasing a pair of TOMS Shoes. With every purchase, they send an additional pair to a child who has no shoes.
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Jacque Haag
Brian Haag
Terry Taylor
Scott Strahm
Jana Neufeld
