Mon, Apr 18th, 2011 @ 12:00 am

Pairing with global relief efforts, students and faculty from the Rancho Cucamonga campus spent the entirety of April 5 walking around barefoot.

For California residents, paved walkways and moderate climate conditions make the task enjoyable but in many developing countries, children must walk barefoot for miles on unpaved, dangerous terrain to get to school, clean water and medical help.

Millions of children are at risk of injury, infection and soil-transmitted diseases that most cannot afford to prevent or treat. Mountainous and muddy terrain makes farming difficult, both physically and economically and many children working the farms have never owned a pair of shoes - leaving them exposed to infection, intestinal worms and weather-induced illnesses.

In the SJVC spirit of good citizenship, the Rancho Cucamonga campus decided to help. On April 5, 2011, the campus teamed up with TOMS SHOES to help raise awareness for the One Day Without Shoes campaign.

The students and faculty participated along with thousands of others around the world in the event by walking the whole day without shoes.

This effort to create awareness for needs outside our own community is a great example of the type of citizenship SJVC promotes. To support both the cause and fellow employees and students, visit onedaywithoutshoes.com or toms.com.