Cupid or Stupid?
Candy wrappers, greeting card aisles and especially sappy TV commercials say it’s coming; there’s something in the air, and we think you know what we’re talking about… love it or hate it: Valentine’s Day is on its way.
See what TOMS Spring Interns are saying about the holiday’s near arrival…
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Kari, Intern with TOMS Campus team Kari’s wearing TOMS Black Sequins Women’s Wedges. Shop that style here. |
Tiffany’s wearing TOMS Black Sequins Women’s Wedges. Shop that style here. |
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Josh, Intern with TOMS Sales team |
Andrew, Intern with TOMS Online team |
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Whitney, Intern with TOMS Marketing team Whitney’s wearing TOMS Natural Canvas Classics. Shop that style here. |
Erin’s wearing TOMS Natural Canvas Classics. Shop that style here.
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Shop for TOMS in red & pink hues or shiny styles… and have you seen our limited edition Valentine shoe??
Shop TOMS Valentine Classics here.
*only available on TOMS.com
Not into observing this here holiday? All kinds of TOMS for all kinds of folks here.
Post-Deployment Joy
Mandi, a TOMS fan in Port Hueneme, California, posted this photo on the TOMS Facebook wall, and we knew there had to be an incredible story behind it. Read on, as Mandi explains why she took her TOMS to greet her husband when he returned from service in the U.S. Navy…
“It’s always a very special moment when your spouse returns from a long deployment, and it's common to see wives in high heels greeting their husbands at the flight line. When I thought about my husband’s return, however, I knew I’d be wearing my TOMS. In some ways, I feel that TOMS connects me to my husband during the times when we’re far apart.
During deployments, my husband gets the opportunity to travel and give back to the communities around where he serves. He has built hospitals, medical clinics and schools in Japan, Cuba, Pakistan, Jamaica, Afghanistan, and recently worked in Cambodia building water wells.
I love hearing him share his stories of how he’s helped, and I feel that through wearing TOMS, I can be a part of similar global humanitarian efforts.
That’s the story of this photo and why our family includes TOMS in meaningful moments.”
Do you include TOMS in your meaningful moments? We want to know about it! Share your photos & stories with us and the global TOMS Community on the TOMS Community Wall.
How TOMS Shoes fit into the big picture
With TOMS Giving Partner IMA World Health...
Shoes are important, especially in developing countries where children walk for miles every day to get to school and clean water.
Shoes protect feet from rough paths, sharp objects, contaminated soil and the cold and heat. And in some places they’re a part of school uniforms, making them a requirement for children to attend class.
And yet, while those all are great benefits, it’s when shoes are combined with other efforts like de-worming medications, hygiene education and community health care that they become even more powerful tools in helping keep kids healthy and on track in their education.
That’s why TOMS is proud that our customers’ shoes are given through Giving Partners like IMA World Health in Haiti. IMA has been working to prevent soil-transmitted infections in Haiti since 2007.
In conjunction with schools and community centers, IMA provides education on healthy hygiene and sanitation practices as well as de-worming and other safe medications to help treat children with parasites. Since 2010, IMA has been integrating TOMS Shoes into their programs, helping further protect children from infections.
“These [TOMS] shoes provide added benefit to IMA’s program on several levels. First, the children love the shoes. You can see their faces light up when they put them on. They are genuinely excited.“
“But ultimately, shoes act as a simple barrier, providing an extra layer of protection against soil-transmitted infections. They are a wonderful complement to the medication being distributed through our program.” - Rick Santos, President & CEO of IMA World Health.
Thanks to the expertise of TOMS Giving Partners like IMA World Health and their experience in developing communities, TOMS Shoes are more than a gift, but a crucial piece of the puzzle for improving children’s health and access to education.
Want to learn more? Check out:
A Soleful Entrance for the Spring 2012 Interns
Hello TOMS fans, followers and random passersby! I’m Erin, one of eighteen fresh faces that just began the intern experience here at TOMS headquarters in Santa Monica, CA. As the Social Media department’s intern I will be running this blog for the duration of our internship.
It’s technically our second week here, but it feels like we just finished orientation yesterday. The Brand Experience department organized an incredible two days for a group of strangers to come together, all with different backgrounds, school and job experiences, with the one common thread that we were all thrilled and awed to now be a part of the TOMS family.
If only one theme stuck in our heads during our first few days, it would be that TOMS is more than just a company or a business. The One for One mission statement goes beyond being a simple (and revolutionary!) business model – it is the essence of everyone’s existence here. All departments, from Customer Service to Alternative Sales seem to operate on the foundation of giving and storytelling.
“What’s our story?” we were rhetorically asked several times by employees from different departments, as they were spending quality time with us, explaining their jobs, inviting questions and offering incredible words of wisdom.
The sagest advice can be summed up here: to enter humbly, explore your assigned department, volunteer outside your area and to engage fellow TOMS employees, gaining knowledge from their own experiences.
(L to R: Kelly, Dana, Kari and Michael)
“TOMS is great not only to be able to work for, but to meet and get to know people from all over. On our first day off, some of us interns had the chance to get together and hike to the Hollywood sign for fun!” Kari, Campus Club intern
As orientation continued, a palpable sense of pride emerged in our group. We are wearing shoes – a simple pair of consumer merchandise, with four simple letters – that carries meaning beyond the canvas and rubber constituent parts. We are now part of the story! We are contributing our own unique perspectives to the philosophical and physical story that is TOMS.
A favorite moment from orientation was the Style Your Sole activity – it felt like we were doing arts and crafts at summer camp!
“It was so fun to be creative and to see how different everyone’s shoes turned out!” Jenna, Retail Marketing intern, fashion
The spring 2012 intern class is full of energy, ambition and inspiration! We are psyched to be a part of the TOMS movement, and look forward to sharing our future experiences.
TOMS Campus tips for how to start the semester strong
Time to kick off a new year, TOMS students! Here are some pointers for starting fresh in 2012:
Find out if there's already a TOMS Campus Club where you go to school (high schoolers - we're talking to you guys, too!) using this finder tool on the TOMS Campus Club site. If there's not one already, start your own TOMS Campus Club and become a pioneer on your campus; you'll find the directions to do so on that same page.
If you're already part of a TOMS Campus Club, or once you get in touch and begin to take part, check in with your Campus Club leader for info on the next club meeting. Brainstorm some fun ideas you’d like to try for the club in the coming semester. Get creative! Share your ideas with your club, and ask let us know what you're up to by connecting with us on the TOMS Campus Club site.
Talk to your teachers about bringing TOMS to the classroom. Point them to the new Teaching Portal on the TOMS Campus Programs site for teaching guides, videos, and discussion questions!
Find inspiration. Read Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie's first book, Start Something That Matters. In it, you'll find stories about how TOMS started, why we give, our company culture, and other companies/people that have provided Blake with inspiration along the way.
Keep warm in the cold months!Host a screening of the TOMS documentary, "For Tomorrow," at a fun or convenient indoor venue. Maybe you can serve hot chocolate or tea to attendees while educating and chatting about the TOMS story!
Stay organized! Add your Campus Club events, meetings, and reminders to your planner or electronic calendar. Find out what events your club is planning and how you can get involved. Keep us up to date! If your leader has changed, your club has new members, or you have anything to share from 2011 or for 2012, send us a note at campusprograms@toms.com and let the TOMS Campus Team know!
Get in the loop! Read the update e-mails from campusprograms@toms.com. They’re sent every other week to those who are subscribed, and they'll clue you in on important announcements and information about club activities and new resources. If you’re not on the send list, shoot us an e-mail at campusprograms@toms.com with a request to be added, and we'll get you all taken care of.
And one last thing for now: HAVE FUN!
- TOMS Campus Team
Eye Camps: TOMS is helping bring sight to remote areas
When we first launched TOMS Eyewear, we wanted TOMS customers’ purchases to have a powerful impact in helping save and restore sight. With our Sight Giving Partner, Seva Foundation, we developed a giving model that would allow our customers’ purchases not only to help those in the greatest need, but also to do so responsibly through supporting locally based, sustainable and professional eye-care programs.
We were honored to learn that our customers’ giving would reach people that couldn’t afford care AND those that couldn’t even access it. 
Eye camps are an exciting and especially important aspect of the work TOMS Sight Giving supports. For patients living in rural communities, getting to eye care services (usually located in the larger cities) can be a long, costly and often dangerous journey that many cannot afford to make. Without access to eye care, they remain blind or visually impaired for life, requiring assistance from their families, staying home from work or school and pushing them further into isolation, poverty and a life lived in darkness.
In Nepal, teams of Seva-supported eye care professionals travel from their base at Lumbini Eye Institute to reach remote communities throughout the country. They visit the same communities over time, setting up temporary clinics to screen patients, perform surgeries and provide follow-up, medical treatment and eye care education. They even work with the local leaders to develop plans for building permanent eye care clinics.
Recently, a TOMS-supported team traveled with Seva for two days through the mountainous region of the Himalayas to reach Taplejung, a remote district of Nepal. Before the team arrived, local students, teachers, health workers and community leaders alerted community members about the eye camp through local radio, pamphlets and good old word-of-mouth. When the Lumbini eye care team arrived, people were lined up anxious to be seen.
Over the next three days, the team examined hundreds of patients and performed sight-saving cataract, pterygium and lid surgeries. Each patient’s surgery, post-operative care, medicine and health education was supported by a TOMS Eyewear purchase.
Seva Foundation shared with us that most patients arriving at the eye camp were walking with the support of a guardian or walking aid. However, as patients headed home after surgery, they walked independently with smiling faces.
Here at TOMS, we're so humbled to see your support enabling eye care professionals to reach remote corners of the world with eyeglasses, surgery and medical treatment. It's truly amazing - so, thank you!!
To learn more about TOMS Eyewear's One for One Sight Giving Model, click here...
Tips for TOMS interns by (former) TOMS interns
The seasons are changing (though it’s sometimes hard to tell in sunny Santa Monica), and we’re rolling with the punches in excited anticipation of meeting the TOMS Spring 2012 Intern class.
The new group begins this Thursday, and – truth be told – their impending arrival is making us former interns a little reminiscent. 
I’m Chelsea. I penned this here blog in the summer of 2010, and – man! - it feels good to be back for a visit.
With each Intern class comes an Intern blog, but in this one last week in between, we former TOMS interns are staging an Intern blog takeover, for good old time’s sake.
Here are our tips for the TOMS Spring 2012 interns and all those who come after that…
“Be ready to do real work, and a lot of it. What you do with your time here matters! But also be ready to laugh because you’ll see a lot of that around here too!” – Natasha, Fall 2010 Intern Class
“Think someone’s cool? Want to learn more about their job or pre-TOMS experiences? Ask them to grab lunch or coffee. You won’t likely get a ‘no,’ and you most definitely will get to hear a good story.” – Charlene, Summer 2009 Intern Class
“I always describe the TOMS internship program as summer camp. You work hard; play hard; challenge yourself everyday; sing along to some music; surround yourself with amazing people; grow professionally and personally and overall embark on a life changing experience.” – Lizzy, Summer 2010 Intern Class
“Don’t be afraid to bring new ideas to the table. TOMS started with one great idea, and we always love to think about creative new ways to improve and grow.” – Pete, Fall 2011 Intern Class
“Read the TOMS blog. It’s a really great resource if you want to know as much as possible about TOMS. If you’re passionate about the movement, you’ll find yourself wanting to know as much as you can about it. I’ve worked here for more than a year and I still read it almost every day.” – Melanie, Summer 2010 Intern Class
And me? I say,“Stay flexible. Know what you’re good at and offer TOMS that and more. If you think you’re bad at something, try a little bit of that stuff too because this internship offers a really unique opportunity to surround yourself in a network of supportive people who can help you hone in on your skills and lend you a whole new set that you can go on to use to change the world.”
Best of luck, new interns. Can’t wait to meet you!
Resolutions for the ahead: TOMS Facebook fans
Health, happiness, hobbies; friendships, relationships; humanitarianism, simplicity and the entrepreneurial spirit: you guys set the bar pretty high for yourselves, and we’re sure 2012 will be another year of our awe at what you accomplish. 
Last year (also known as last WEEK!), on Dec. 31, we asked TOMS Facebook fans “What’s your New Year’s resolution?”
Hundreds responded – some inspirational, some humorous, some interesting and unique – and, we loved reading each post, learning a little more about the people who are in this One for One movement alongside the TOMS family.
Here are some of *your* resolutions for the year ahead…
Some variation of this one popped up most often!
Giving: Hope
“New shoes provide hope to a child. And while hope is not necessarily measurable, it is one of the most meaningful attributes in our mission to break the cycle of poverty and disease,” explains the team from Partners In Health, a TOMS Giving Partner.
Children in Neno, Malawi receive their first pairs of TOMS shoes
Since 2007, Partners In Health has brought health, education and hope to the southern district of Neno in Malawi. They have built hospitals and health clinics throughout that region, but as they shared with us, "you can build a hospital and you can give people medicine, but if you don't address their other needs, people are not going to get better.”
Collaborating with local government and organizations, Partners In Health provides patients and their families with layers of support like food, shelter, school subsidies and health education. All of these factors help children, families and communities break the cycles of poverty and disease that have long affected districts like Neno.
Since becoming a TOMS Giving Partner in 2009, Partners In Health has distributed new shoes to children in Haiti, Malawi, Rwanda and Lesotho. For some of these children, these were the first shoes they’d ever owned or received.
The TOMS shoes not only help protect children’s feet from cuts, infection and diseases, but as the Partners In Health team tells us, “New shoes give children a sense of self, a feeling of pride, and the universal satisfaction that comes from feeling taken care of and provided for.” 
“[The shoes] make me feel happy and [help me know] that everything will be OK,” beamed Alfred, a student in Neno who received his first pair of TOMS shoes.
We at TOMS are so grateful that the incredible support of our TOMS community can be extended to provide children with not only new shoes but also, through our Giving Partners, a feeling of being loved.
Thank you for supporting the One for One movement.
Want to see more? Check out this Facebook album of children receiving shoes in Malawi.
Business, Buddhism, and Breakfast Burritos (via Wall Street Journal)
Recently, TOMS expanded its one-for-one platform to include sunglasses. For each pair of shades purchased, TOMS will help restore the sight of a child through prescription glasses, medical care or surgery. Mr. Mycoskie is also taking his prescription for success to print with his new book, "Start Something That Matters" (Random House). We caught up with the 35-year-old by phone as he dashed between meetings in New York.
I credit my grandmother for my sense of style. She was known for wearing bright, outgrageous things because it made people ahppy and she tought it made her more approachable. When you wear a brightly colored shirt or pants, it shows you don't take yourself too seriously and it puts everyone around you at ease.
I always have my journal with me. It was handmade by a guy at the San Telmo market in Beunos Aires. If you go there he can make you one. It's leather and bronze and I'm able to replace the paper when it runs out. It has a lion on the cover that I say is there to protect my thoughts.
Continue reading about Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie on the Wall Street Journal website.
