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Students go barefoot to raise awareness

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CENTENNIAL CHRISTIAN Grade 12 students went shoeless to raise awareness about Tom's Shoes

SEVERAL STUDENTS at Centennial Christian School spent the day barefoot to raise awareness about young people in other countries who go without shoes daily, but not by choice.

This past Tuesday was “A Day Without Shoes,” an event put on by Tom's Shoes, a company that gives away a free pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of its shoes purchased.

Six Centennial Grade 12 students said walking around inside with no shoes wasn't very difficult but outside wasn't great.

Peter Ramsay even rode his bike to school barefoot.

Principal Curtis Tuininga said the whole idea began with a project early in the year, where students researched people and heroes that have made a difference in the world based on what they believed.

One student found Tom's Shoes and researched it.

“It's a for-profit organization but their method is for every pair of shoes someone buys, they give a pair away [to a child],” said Tuininga, adding that the company indicated it chose shoes because a leading cause of disease in developing countries is through soil-transmitted diseases.

The students had intended to ask residents to take part in the day without shoes but it didn't happen so they went ahead to do it themselves anyway.