Some UF students found out Thursday that walking around campus barefoot is no small feat.
A group of about 30 students walked barefoot from the Reitz Union to the Plaza of the Americas at 11:30 a.m. Thursday as part of One Day Without Shoes, an international event that spreads the word about the challenges faced by children who own no shoes.
The event was organized by TOMS Shoes, a company that donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair it sells.
Although about 30 students marched, the Facebook event “Gators Go Barefoot-One Day Without Shoes” had 192 confirmed guests who promised to go barefoot for at least an hour.
Sophomore Tuan Nguyen began his day at 8 a.m. and realized that getting around without shoes would not be easy.
The bus driver was not too happy about his choice to go shoeless.
“She told me that she would not let me ride the bus without shoes,” Nguyen said. “I wasn’t able to take them off again until I got off the bus.”
Nicole Johnson, who coordinated One Day Without Shoes at UF, said the event was about more than going barefoot.
“The goal was for people to have fun and to see firsthand what these children are going through,” she said.
