TOMS Campus Club will be hosting a giving spree Friday, Sept. 25, at Walmart to benefit several organizations.
TOMS Campus Club is associated with TOMS, a popular shoe brand known for its one-for-one mission. For every pair of TOMS shoes sold, TOMS also donates a pair to someone in need.
President of TOMS Campus Club Alissa Barwinski said, “Giving is really important to us, and we wanted to bring that mission of giving back here to Bowling Green.”
Barwinski said that despite some students only being in Bowling Green for their college careers, “it’s really important that we’re engaging with our community.”
One of the ways TOMS Campus Club is engaging with the community is through the upcoming giving spree, an idea that has been in the works since April.
On Friday, a shuttle will leave from behind the Union, near the Black Swamp Pub, at 9 p.m. to transport students to Walmart. Students can also choose to transport themselves. Check in will begin in Walmart at 9:30.
Teams will then be let loose in Walmart from 10:30 until 11:30. During this time, they will shop for items on a list. Walmart will be rearranged, so the average item is not in its normal location, making it more difficult for teams to find each item. Once the teams find the items, they will complete a Minute to Win it challenge to receive the item.
TOMS Campus Club has free giveaways of TOMS products and gift cards for event winners.
Teams will be given a limited budget, and at 11:30, teams will report to the Outdoor Living department where volunteers will be tallying the products and money. Whichever team buys the most items within the hour with the limited budget will win the event. The winning team’s charity or philanthropy of choice will receive the money TOMS Club has raised so far this year.
By midnight, TOMS Campus Club will reveal the total number of products donated, the winning team and amount the winning teams charity or philanthropy will receive. Shuttles will then return students to Campus.
Founder and Student Advisor Rodrigo Patterson said, “We wanted something that students could actually see the impact of what they’re doing … This is something that really does a better job connecting students to the time and money they’re giving.”
Sophomore Valerie Schweizer, the Community Outreach Chair for TOMS Campus Club, agrees with Patterson, saying that the most exciting thing is how hands-on this event will be.
Not only will the winning team’s philanthropy or charity benefit, but the items that teams shop for at Walmart will be donated to Project Connect, a local organization for those affected by homelessness. Project Connect offers hot meals, nonperishable food items, hygiene products, clothing, doctors, voter registration information, and job interview advice to those in need here in Bowling Green and Wood County.
Barwinski said she was excited to see how big of an impact the event will have, especially since it will help both the community and a larger organization.
The members of TOMS Campus Club hope to make the Giving Spree an annual event.
Teams of six or less can register for Giving Spree until midnight on Thursday, Sept. 24 for $25 per team. The event will have both community and student teams participating. If students cannot afford to make a team, but would like to participate, TOMS Campus Club is looking for volunteers to help run the event as well.
Patterson said, “I’m excited to go back in a week and look back at Giving Spree … and see the impact that we actually had.”
For more information on events or to register for the event, visit tomsbg.com.
