With Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS Shoes, on campus to encourage their generosity, TCU students sold or bought 322 pairs of footwear in a shoe drive that concluded Leadership Week in January.

Students used a coupon code provided by TOMS to buy the shoes for themselves or solicit purchases on campus. For every pair sold, the company gives another set of shoes to children in developing countries.

Mycoskie, a native of Arlington, gave the keynote address at the Leadership Institute Dinner, sharing how he started the company in 2006 under a charitable business model and how it yielded 10,000 shoe donations the first six months.

“When I had the idea for TOMS, it was a ‘what if.’ It was a project. It wasn’t even a company,” he said.

The impact of his endeavor didn’t become real as he was making the model work but when he took the initial supply to Argentina.

“My life really did change when I was on my hands and knees and my parents were on their hands and knees, and we placed the shoes on these kids’ feet and saw how excited they were.”

Mycoskie emphasized the importance of sustainability in business and encouraged students to become leaders in their own endeavors.