At Vionic, giving back is a valued pillar in the foundation of our brand. Because of this, we were greatly honored to participate in and sponsor the 2017 AVON 39 Walk to End Breast Cancer for the third year in a row in San Francisco, CA. This annual, two-day walk spans over 39.3 miles and helps raise funds for research and programs to end breast cancer.
This year, Vionic donated 1,400 pairs of our Beach flip flops with supportive technology to walkers as they crossed the finish line at the event. Raving fan Toni Vlaovich, who has battled breast cancer, shared with us how her Vionic sandals helped her on her journey for the 2016 walk held in Santa Barbara.
“Briefly, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. After surgeries and 7 months of chemo I was determined to do the 2016 walk in Santa Barbara. My concern was that my feet wouldn’t be able to handle the walk. I was a professional dancer and wearing ANY type of tennis shoe or other closed-toe shoes would leave me in pain within 2 miles. I found your orthotic walking sandals, and was able to complete the walk without pain OR blisters! The part of this that I wanted to share were the comments I received from many other walkers. The second day of the walk, I passed many women who were walking in flip flops (ouch!) because their feet were so swollen, or had so many blisters from the first day of walking, they were actually UNABLE to get their shoes on. So many walkers asked about my Vionic sandals!! They wanted to know if I had done the whole 39.3 miles in them, which I told them that I had, with no blisters or swollen feet. There were many comments that they would be looking into sandals for their next walk!
I am doing the walk again this year in Santa Barbara and have started training for it in my Vionic sandals. I hope to see a lot of other women doing the walk in them this year, and I plan on letting anyone that I see limping in pain or (gasp!) trying to finish in flip-flops to check into your walking sandals.
Thank you for your support of the Avon Walks, and for enabling me to do my part in the fight to end breast cancer.”
Stories such as Toni’s serve as an important reminder of how extraordinary our customers are and how they inspire us every day to continue to give back. To offer our continous support in the fight against breast cancer, Vionic is offering limited edition prints of our Vionic Beach Sandal. For every pair purchased, $5 will be donated to a local breast cancer charity. You can purchase these limited edition prints here.
To learn more about our Vionic Supports initiatives, visit here.