Nyack joins communities across the country and around the world during One Day Without Shoes to bring attention to the impact that a simple pair of shoes can have on a child’s life.
In cooperation with TOMS Shoes, ML Gifts and Accessories is sponsoring Nyack’s first annual One Day Without Shoes campaign, asking everyone in the village to go barefoot for part of the day on April 8. ML Gifts will lead a walk from its location at 75 So. Broadway to Nyack’s Village Hall at 9 No. Broadway at 4p.
Many children in developing countries grow up without shoes having to walk miles to attend school and get food, water and medical help. Our community can help increase awareness about the debilitating diseases that children’s bare feet are exposed. A leading cause of disease in these areas is soil-based parasites.
“It’s very interesting for us, as a boutique that sells footwear, to lead the charge, barefooted, in order to bring more local visibility to this important worldwide issue,” says Maria Luisa Whittingham, owner of ML Gifts and Accessories. In addition to hosting the event, Whittingham will donate one dollar to Friends of Toms for each person who participates in the Nyack event.
One Day Without Shoes participants will pledge their commitment, join and organize events, and connect with likeminded participants online at OneDay WithoutShoes.com. The website will also provide an forum to share videos, photos, and experiences spending One Day Without Shoes.
The problem is large but the solution is simple. Wearing shoes and basic hygiene can prevent both infection and disease due to unsafe roads and contaminated soil. By imagining a life barefoot, Nyack will contribute to the awareness of these conditions.
For more information on this event visit www.marialuisaboutique.com
or contact Marissa Danney at (845) 358-1293.
KevinKillion says:
This sounds like a worthy endeavor but it does spark some thoughts.
* There are some advantages to walking barefoot, which we in developed countries have lost. For example, running barefoot stresses the bones of the feet by only a third as much as running in running shoes.
* For a person used to wearing shoes, walking barefoot is nothing like what it is for a person who is typically barefoot. Our baby-soft soles are simply not conditioned for that.
* I understand the symbolism of literally walking in someone else’s shoes (or absence of shoes). But we shouldn’t think it’s really the same thing. (This is akin to educated, clear-thinking, goal-oriented, substance-free college students trying to experience real homelessness by sleeping in a box in the school’s parking lot.)
* We’re supposed to be all about cultural sensitivities these days. To some extent, claiming that wearing shoes for most of the day is the “correct” behavior smacks of a western cultural bias.
* In a deeply poor society, the first commercial enterprise that usually emerges is agriculture. The next is clothing. Donating clothing to poor cultures is straight out of the beatitudes, but caution is imperative.
Charity is led by the heart, and is best when the mind is involved as well.
March 11th, 2010 at 12:02 pm