TOMS founder, Blake Mycoskie gives shoes to children.

Many companies use percentages of their profits to make charitable contributions to good causes. TOMS Shoes is a company that takes it a step further, and Fairfield University students are helping them to do it.

TOMS Shoes’ mission is simple: for every pair of shoes that it sells, it will donate a pair to a child in need. According to its website, the company has given away over 150,000 pairs of shoes through its One for One Movement since it was founded in 2006, and plans to give away 300,000 shoes in 2009.

The TOMS Shoes Campus Club works to run events on campus for students to learn about TOMS Shoes and its mission, according to president Emily Robillard ’11, who started the Fairfield University chapter at the beginning of this year after learning about the company herself.

“TOMS Shoes is redefining the way people shop by making giving and shopping one and the same,” said Robillard. “I believe it is important for students to understand what TOMS is doing and to be introduced to the idea of conscious consumerism.”

TOMS Shoes has reached out to involve a number of high schools and colleges across the country in their cause. Fairfield’s chapter, which contains about 25 students, just held their first event this Tuesday, an Open Mic Night/Coffee House at the Levee, featuring representatives of the company discussing the TOMS One for One Movement, as well as student performers, and free coffee and Robeks smoothies. Other popular events at other schools include Style Your Sole Parties, where students are given materials to personalize their TOMS shoes.

American entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie founded the company in 2006 after traveling to Argentina. After witnessing the high level of poverty abundant in the country, Mycoskie decided to start the company in order to supply shoes to the children who ran barefoot in the streets. The company’s name comes from its original concept, the Shoes for Tomorrow Project.

In many countries with heightened levels of poverty, children who live without shoes often face a number of health risks due to cuts and scrapes, as well as elements like parasite-contaminated soil. According to the TOMS website, many children are banned from attending public schools if they do not wear shoes.

Based in Santa Monica, Calif., TOMS Shoes delivers shoes to Argentina, Ethiopia, South Africa, and the United States. The company performs Shoe Drops all year round, including once a month in Argentina and 5 days a week in Ethiopia.

TOMS Shoes products are based on local Argentinean alpargata shoes, a type of slip-on. Their shoes are available in a wide variety of colors and fabrics, with prices ranging from $44 to $68. Robillard insists that the price is worth it.

“Students should be concerned with what their money is going to support when they buy a product,” said Robillard. “TOMS shows consumers exactly what their money is going to support: helping give every child in the world a pair of shoes. Consumers can be proud to support a company like TOMS.”