The Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN) Bookstore hosted a "Style Your Sole" event on April 5 in honor of "One day without shoes," a global event created by TOMS Shoes, a national, online retail organization created to help children in need with the famous tagline "One for One."

The ASUN Bookstore purchased 105 pairs of shoes from TOMS and will donate them to the Children's Cabinet in Reno, according to Marie Stewart, manager of the ASUN Bookstore. TOMS at UNR, the student organization affiliate to the national TOMS organization, assisted the Bookstore in coordinating with the national TOMS organization and planning the event.

"I was inspired to do this after hearing the founder of TOMS Shoes speak," Stewart said. "I thought, 'what a great idea' to bring something positive, fun and creative to campus. And the Children's Cabinet will farm out the shoes to local children. To me, it was a win-win."

The "Style Your Sole" event allowed students, faculty and staff on campus to decorate the shoes before they go to the Children's Cabinet. Stewart said all 105 pairs of shoes were decorated before the scheduled end of the event because so many students showed up to decorate.

"My favorite part of the event was when I saw students writing things like 'change the world,' and 'stay in school, do great things,' on the shoes," she said. "They were even writing positive messages in the shoe boxes for the children. They really caught on to the meaning of the event."

When one pair of shoes is purchased from TOMS, they send a pair to a child in need living in one of 23 countries with a TOMS partnership, including the United States. The purpose of "One day without shoes" is to raise awareness for children who grow up in developing countries without shoes and the health problems this can lead to, according to TOMS. According to the site, as of September 2010, TOMS Shoes has provided more than one million pairs of shoes to children in need. The name TOMS is shortened for "tomorrows" for the message of giving children a better tomorrow.