Giving now and then is fine, but we can do more

On Tuesday, students across campus and people all over the world participated in One Day Without Shoes, an international event sponsored by TOM shoes to help raise awareness of people in Africa who are unable to afford shoes.

TOM Shoes is a company that makes  and sells shoes, where for each pair you buy, another pair is sent to someone in Africa who has no shoes.

While the event is admirable, and those who participate are just as sincere, isn’t it a little strange to think that an event like this only highlights one day out of our year to think of someone beside ourselves?

We do this a lot. How many people have pink ribbons on their lapels? Do you wear it because it’s popular, or do you wear it because it’s for a good cause?

What about when Haiti went through an earthquake and thousands of people were left homeless? Some people sent food, supplies, and money. At CSC, we had a benefit dance. After that, any thoughts about Haiti sort of disappeared.

People feel great after they donate money, go without shoes for a day, buy a Product Red tee shirt to support AIDS awareness, or sign a petition. After all, it is easy to simply give away some change, make a pledge, or wear a button.

If anything, it is more or less something we do for ourselves to make us feel less guilty about how well off we are in this world.

But what if we all decided to actually commit to something every day?

We could all make so much of a difference if we said, “Yes, I plan on supporting (organization of your choice) and I will do it all year around.”

For this reason, The Eagle has decided to sponsor a charitable organization. We will announce what charity we’re sponsoring soon. We hope that others will do the same and commit to truly helping people.

If one person can make a difference, let’s all take the initiative and be that person.