Shoes of Hope Mission Statement
Art Miles Mural Project’s Shoes of Hope is an interactive initiative that spreads inspiration around the world. Donated shoes painted by community Peace Paint Ambassadors (children and adults from around the world) are shipped internationally to children in need. Combining the practicality of shoes with emotional, passionate messages, lives are changed and hope is spread.
History
The Art Miles Mural Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization recognized by UNESCO as an international program supporting The Decade for the Culture and Peace. AMMP is a powerful global initiative that uses community-building and expression through mural painting, shoe painting and music.
AMMP’s latest initiative is Shoes of Hope. In 2005, AMMP collaborated with San Diego’s International High School to paint canvas shoes that were donated to the “invisible children” (disarmed child soldiers) of Uganda. Officially launched in 2006, Shoes of Hope parnered with Rotary International in painting events at San Diego State University, University of California San Diego and University of San Diego.
Over 1,000 pairs of shoes were painted for disarmed child soldiers, HIV/AIDS victims and orphans in South Africa.
Walk a Mile in Art Miles Shoes
Accomplishments since 2006
- Art Miles Shoes of Hope have been painted in the US, Canada, Japan and Korea.
- Thousands of shoes have been donated by Art Miles, Wal-Mart, Steve & Barry’s and many others.
- Special hand-written message of peace and hope are tucked into every shoe.
- Nearly 5000 shoes have been shipped to Africa, including Uganda, South Africa, Namibia and Ghana.
- Shoes of Hope recipients include: babies, children and youth at refugee centers, orphanages and schools.
- Our collaborators have included Rotary Club International, Hairapy, Mission Uganda, Voices of African Mothers, the International World Peace Tour for Children, Charity Network International, Embassy of Uganda, Embassy of Germany, LTU/Air Berlin Airlines and the International Committee of Artists for Peace.
- Our plan is to ship our Art Miles Shoes of Hope to any area of this world that is in need. Both the educational painting process and the personal delivery of giving the shoes is a profound experience
- Please contact our marketing firm Kubichan Communications or the Art Miles Mural Project directly if you would like to collaborate with us in any way
Co-Founders of Art Miles Mural Project:
Joanne and Foaud Tawfilis
Contact Art Miles: info@artmiles.org
International Marketing and Business Development
Contact Kubichan Communications: email: katharine@kubichan.com
tel: +1.858.455.6300O
Art Miles Shoes of Hope in Korea "TV Interview"
MIZY SHARING FESTVAL, SEOUL, S. KOREA, OCTOBER 2007
Mizy & Art Miles Shoes of Hope
Art Miles Shoes of Hope UGANDA
August 2007, Art Miles Shoes with Vision Force from Los Angeles to Kampala and children's orphanage and group camp.
South Africa
Gulu Walk San Diego
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YF_SFuD3tJw
Explorer Charter School, San Diego
United Nations Association San Diego California
EUROPEAN TEACHERS' NEWSLETTER #6
NEWSLETTER DI EUROPEAN SCHOOLNET #3 (PDF)
International Education Week 13 - 17 Nov.2006 USD UCSD SDSU
Art Miles Shoes of Hope
In 2005 the Art Miles Mural Project selected the San Diego High School Complex, International Studies School to fulfill the objectives of the Peace Paint Ambassador grant received from San Diego Foundation for Change.
The Peace Paint Ambassadors from the school created, exchanged and exhibited murals with students in Hong Kong. In the spring of 2006, the Peace Paint Ambassadors from Ms. Kari Nansen’s class viewed “The Invisible Children” documentary film and with her encouragement and initial donation of shoes decided to paint shoes along with murals. They were inspired and moved by the film and wanted to send these children painted shoes.
The Art Miles Shoe Project spilled over during the San Diego annual Artwalk in Little Italy and soon more schools and mural painting events evolved, gaining great interest and urgency worldwide to let children and people of developing countries know that they were not forgotten.
Mr. Olara Otunnu, former United Nations Under-Secretary visited the University of San Diego Institute of Peace and Justice and then held a briefing at the Alliance for African Assistance with the honorable Archbishop Acholi where Ms. Nansen garnered his attention and support and Kari has now become the Art Miles Shoe Coordinator!
The Peace Paint Ambassadors then presented Mr. Otunnu with a letter expressing their desire to help the children of Uganda in their Night Commuting with the shoes and later decided to design awareness and fund raising strategies to continue the project in support of the Campaign to End Genocide in Uganda Now (GEGUN).
In June, the Peace Paint Ambassadors participated in a shoe painting event hosted at the World Beat Center in Balboa Park, which was a huge success with many parents participating.
Through the efforts of the Art Miles founder the Golden Triangle Rotary in La Jolla was contacted and subsequently expressed a desire to introduce murals in their own international South African project and when they saw the painted shoes, included them in their journey to schools and an HIV AIDS orphanage where both the murals and the shoes became an instant hit. The International Rotary in South Africa then became interested in expanding the project to The Soul of Africa as a micro-economic project for women and Clarks Shoes International is now exploring the feasibility of the plan. During this same time frame, the United Nations Environment Program invited The Art Miles Mural Project to participate in their international children’s conference in Malaysia where another offer of donated shoes surfaced. Ms. Nansen was also able to introduce the shoe project to UNESCO in Paris during the exhibition of Art Miles Murals for the opening of the Sports For Peace Conference in July.
The Mural/Shoe project has now emerged on the local and international levels. In October, three San Diego Universities will convene Art Mile Mural/Shoe painting marathons with students donating and painting shoes. Shoe painting was a big hit at the recent Coronado Artwalk as well as the annual Del Mar Festival. Many other benefactors have donated over 500 pairs of shoes, including more than 50 pairs donated by an airline attendant, who is a parent of one of Ms. Nansen’s former students. Other US cities have joined the Art Miles Shoes and The Walk a Mile in Art Mile Shoes has recently joined the planning efforts for the Los Angeles Peace Parade led by Arun Gandhi. Many celebrities joined in by either walking in Peace shoes or painting and signing a pair for benefit auctions. France, Japan, Egypt, and Canada are some of the recent countries to express interest in the Walk a Mile in Art Mile Shoe Project and events will be planned and organized in those countries. This fall, 3 major San Diego universities have a goal to create 10,000 pairs of shoes to send to Africa.
Shoes of Hope
The shoes mean so much to each child. Some children have NEVER owned a pair of shoes. Some children find HOPE in receiving a pair of shoes that have messages written on the tongue of the shoe or on the sole of the shoe. They then know that there is someone out there thinking of them, and it will bring a smile to their face and fill their heart with joy.
More than that, creating awareness and letting the world know that humanity can no longer ignore the plight of so many child victims of HIV/AIDS, abductions and they horrid abuses thrust upon them that force them into becoming child soldiers.
Additionally, there are hundreds of thousands of displaced children who are victims of natural disasters who to this very day, remain homeless, hungry and shoeless. Your donation of a pair of shoes, painted or unpainted can make a big difference in the life of a child.
Please allow yourself the opportunity to express your care and concern by helping The Art Miles Mural Project paint “mini murals” on canvas shoes. We need your help and support.
It’s very easy for you or your group, school, club, or organization to participate in the shoe project. All you have to do is contact Joanne Tawfilis at Jtawfilis@aol.com the Art Miles Mural Shoe of Hope, for further information, and check our web sites at www.artmiles.org and www.the-art-miles-mural-project.org soon for news and updates.
