Editor’s note: We’re proud to be pairing up with TOMS Shoes in a new TakePart original series. In case you aren’t familiar with their mission, here’s the kickoff post to fill you in on the company. Check back next week for the wrap-up from the Spring ‘09 TOMS Vagabonds, who spent the last three months traveling across the country engaging, educating and sharing the One for One movement.

TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise. For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One. Three years ago, Blake Mycoskie took a trip to Argentina and met many children who did not have shoes. They walk miles barefoot for food and water, and often cannot attend school with out shoes. Even playing a soccer game or running around outside puts them at risk for cuts and infection in their feet. Wanting to help, Blake created TOMS Shoes: a shoe company that would give away one pair of shoes to these children for every pair sold. He didn’t create a charity; he didn’t organize a shoe drive. Building TOMS as a One for One business provided a sustainable way to bring shoes to many children. To date, TOMS has given over 140,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world.

But Blake hasn’t done it alone. In addition to a buzzing headquarters in Santa Monica, TOMS is proud to have the support of young people all over the world. Through campus internships, HQ internships, and a traveling group of interns called the TOMS Vagabonds, the One for One movement has ignited passion across hundreds of campuses.

By wearing a pair of TOMS everyday, people have the opportunity to share the One for One movement with everyone they encounter, and therefore making an incredible impact on the lives of children.