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Host a Brace-painting Party & help kids with clubfoot

Use your creativity for a cause and paint the future bright for children born with clubfoot! Whether you are painting with your family, friends, organization or church, this is a fun and tangible way for you to be the hands of Jesus and show love to a child.

Host a Paint Party
Have a Question?

Stocking Stuffers

Now for the holidays, order individual bags of leathers as gifts for friends and family. They make the perfect Stocking Stuffer or gather around your holiday table to paint as a family. 

LEARN WHY BRACES MATTER

 

Clubfoot is a common, yet treatable, condition. We can easily correct clubfoot in infants using the Ponseti method, the gold-standard treatment of casts and braces. Once the casts have straightened the feet in a few weeks or months, the braces will be used to maintain the foot correction.

Children will wear braces full-time for approximately three months and then only while napping and at night until the child is about five years old. As you can see, they are a big part of a child’s journey, and each child will wear between 6-12 braces throughout the five years.

1. Before

2. Casting

3. Bracing

4. Walking

MAKE AN IMPACT

 

There are two major impacts your brace painting has on children. The painted braces help to:

    1. Heal Hearts – In Africa and Latin America, society tells the mothers that they did something wrong during their pregnancy to cause this condition to their child, or they say to the family that this is a punishment from God and that they’re cursed. The families hide their children out of fear and unnecessary shame.

Hope Walks works within the communities to break off the stigma and shame. We speak life and truth over these families. We tell the mothers that they did nothing wrong to cause this to their child, and we tell the families that God loves them and that clubfoot is treatable. Imagine the feeling these families must have when they come out of hiding, receive free treatment and then have someone give them hand-painted “shoes” for their child. They no longer feel shame. Instead, they feel seen, valued and loved. Your artwork on these braces not only helps feet to remain healed, but it also helps heal hearts.

2. Increase Completion Rates of Treatment – Because the braces are now painted and “cool,” children want to wear them. This decreases the rates of relapse and increases treatment completion rates. Your artwork is inspiring!

Get Started – It’s easy!

1

Order Your Party Box

2

Invite Friends

3

Have fun & Transform Lives

Host a Paint Party
Have a Question?

Tell us how many painting kits you’d like, and we’ll mail them to you before your party.

Each painting kit includes: 

    • One pair of brace leathers (including leathers for the left and right foot)
    • Contact card (used to track your painted brace).
    • Three paint pens
    • Wet wipe for your hands
    • Hope Walks sticker
    • Hope Walks pen
    • Additional information

Once you are finished painting, just send them back to us, and we’ll take care of the rest. We’ll even email you a photo of your painted leathers turned into a finished brace once it’s completed!

Need a Little Inspiration?

Don’t worry, you do not need to be a Picasso to paint brace leathers, so please do not be intimidated! Some people love to paint very detailed braces, and that is great. However, stripes, polka dots and smiley faces also work really well. The children love the bright colors. If you need a little inspiration, please visit our inspiration gallery of 100 painted leathers.

Visit the Inspiration Gallery

DID YOU KNOW…

 

Did you know that your $20 donation to paint covers the entire cost of the brace for the child? Their family will not pay anything for the brace.

This includes the following:

  1. Shipping: The leather within your painting kit is from the actual country. They ship it here to the U.S., and after the braces are painted, we ship it back to Africa.
  2. Manufacturing: We hire local workers to turn your leathers into a brace.
  3. Delivering: After the braces are manufactured, they are delivered to the local clinics to be put on the feet of children who were born with clubfoot.

You’re providing a double blessing … painting and paying it forward.

Help Needed

Our goal for this year is at least 5,000 painted braces. 

It is absolutely heartbreaking when some children receive painted braces and others do not. 

One of our program managers told us about a little boy who was in tears when he grew out of his painted brace and had to move up to the next size and we didn’t have a painted brace for him.

As you can see, this is so much more than just an art project. Please spread the word about brace paint parties. Together, let’s pass our 5,000 goal and bless these children!

Host a Paint Party

$20 Donation = 1 Pair of Leathers

PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE ONLY ABLE TO FULFILL REQUESTS TO U.S. ADDRESSES. 

Have a Question?

We’re so glad you want to take the next step to paint the future bright for kids with clubfoot. Please complete the form below so we can get you and your friends painting!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is there a donation to paint braces?

We ask for a $20 donation per brace painting kit. This covers the shipping, manufacturing and delivery costs. You are not only painting the brace for a child, you are actually covering the full cost of the brace for the family. What a double blessing – the braces are painted and paid for! Thank you for your donation!

2. Who can schedule a brace painting party?

Brace painting parties are perfect for almost everyone and work well with small or large groups of people. Paint with your:

  • Family
  • Friends
  • Church Groups
  • Organizations
  • Students (Middle or High School, preferably) 

There is no group too big or small. We will work with you on any size event.

We recommend that the age for painting be 13 and older. 

3. Can someone come and speak at my brace-painting event?

Our U.S. team is in York Springs, Pennsylvania. There are times when our staff will travel and speak at various events, and we may be able to speak at your brace painting event. However, we have a smaller team and may not be able to make every event. Please let us know if that’s something you’d be interested in, and we’ll check with our team. We can do one of three things:

  • Speak in-person at your event
  • Join your event virtually via Zoom to speak and engage with your group
  • Provide videos and talking points for you to lead the event (We will set you up for success.)

4. What age range is best for painters? Can children paint brace leathers?

This project was originally created for adults. However, we recognize that it is impactful for children and teaches them to give back and help others. Almost all of us here at Hope Walks are parents, so we understand and appreciate that heart posture!

However, because these will be actual “shoes” worn by a child, we recommend that the age for painting be 13 and older. If children are younger than 13, we highly recommend that they assist an adult with the adult’s painting kit. That way, they are learning by example, and the adult can ensure that the quality of the shoes is suitable to give as a gift to another child. 

Let’s face it, we all love our kids’ refrigerator art, and we save it for years. It is so cute for us and our families to see. However, if your child was born with clubfoot, please think of the quality of shoe you would like for your child to receive.

We’re not looking for perfection, and being a professional artist is not a requirement. We’re just navigating the balance of teaching our children the importance of giving while also giving a child something they would be proud to wear.

If you have children who want to paint but are a bit too young, we also have coloring pages that you can print and send back with your braces:

We will send the coloring pages to Africa when we send your painted brace leathers.

Thank you for your understanding and assistance!

5. Do you have any resources or talking points that I can use when talking with an adult group?

Absolutely! We want to set you up for success. Here are: 

        6. Do you have any resources or talking points that I can use when talking with kids under 18?

        Of course! We want to set you up for success. Here are: 

            7. How do you track the painted leathers so I receive photos of them?

            There is a tracking number on every pair of brace leathers. Please ensure that tracking number is written on your contact card along with your email address (or your parent/guardian’s email address, if under the age of 18):

            We will email you a photo of your completed brace in a few months. If possible, we may also email a second photo with the child wearing your painted brace. Not all mothers want photos of their children taken, and some of the clinics are in remote locations; therefore, we cannot promise a second photo of the child in the brace, but we will try.

            8. I have an older child who painted brace leathers. Can you track their brace leathers to their email?

            We’re sorry, but no. Hope Walks cannot communicate with anyone under 18. 

            If you are the parent or guardian, please complete the card with your contact information. This is very important and will allow us to send you updates for them, including a photo of their completed brace. If the tracking cards do not include parent/guardian information, we will be unable to track their specific brace. 

            Thank you for understanding!

            9. Do you have an instructional video on how to paint the brace leathers?

            Click here or the image below to watch an instructional video. 

             

            10. I can't get my paint pens to work. Are they broken?

            We will provide three paint pens in every kit that we send. The paint pens will need to be primed before using them. Otherwise, no paint will come out. Don’t worry…the pens are not broken. 🙂 Here is a quick video on how to prime the paint pens. They are double sided, with a thicker and thinner point on each end, so please prime both sides of the pen.

            11. May I use other paint that I have to decorate the brace leathers?

            You can use any acrylic paint on the brace leathers. Please do not use other types of paint, as they will not adhere well during the brace-making process. 

            12. I have no idea where to start. Do you have examples of other painted leathers to inspire me?

            Yes. We have an inspiration gallery of 100 different brace leathers to help get your creative juices flowing. 

            If you are hosting an event, we have table tents that you can print off and use. Each side of the table tent includes a QR code that painters can scan with their cellphone cameras. One side leads to the inspiration gallery and the other side leads to photos of children wearing painted braces.

            After printing the table tents, please:

            • Cut them in half (lengthwise)
            • Trim to remove white outside borders (lengthwise only)
            • Fold them in half
            • Fold them on the bottom dotted lines
            • Tape them at the bottom

            13. Do I need to be an artist to paint leathers?

            No. You do not need to be a Picasso to paint brace leathers, so please do not be intimidated. Some people love to paint very detailed braces, and that is great. However, stripes, polka dots and smiley faces also work really well. The children just love the bright colors.

            Here’s an inspiration gallery of images to help you get started.

            14. Is there anything I shouldn't paint on the leathers?

            We ask that you please:

            1. Avoid writing words, as not all countries speak English.
            2. Do not apply stickers or other items to the brace leathers. Stickers will not stay attached to the leather for long, and then the braces will become sticky.
            3. Avoid painting over any numbers or the tongue or inside of the brace.

             

            15. How long do the braces take to dry?

            The paint pens dry fairly quickly. However, drying times will vary depending on the layers of paint you’ve added. In general, the braces should only take 5-10 minutes to dry.

             

            16. What side of the brace leather will the children see the most while wearing them?

            Each leather (left and right foot) will have a side with a hole. That is the side that the child will see most while wearing the brace leathers. It’s still important that both halves are painted, but the child’s viewpoint will mostly be on the halves that include the hole near the heel of the foot. 

             

            17. I took photos at our brace painting event. How can I engage with Hope Walks and share them on social media?

            We’d love to engage with you on social media. Please like and follow our accounts:

            In addition, please tag us in any event photos that you share. 

            Here are some of the hashtags that we use:

            • #PaintTheFutureBright
            • #PaintHope
            • #FreedomFromClubfoot
            • #EndClubfoot
            • #ClubfootIsTreatable

             

            18. How do I return painted leathers to Hope Walks?

            If you are returning your painted brace leathers within 30 days of your event, and you need a return address label, please let us know. Otherwise, you can mail them to us, and we will get them to a child who was born with clubfoot. 

            If you are using the United States Postal Service (USPS), please use our PO Box Address:

            Hope Walks
            PO Box 218
            York Springs, PA 17372

            Please note that UPS will not mail to PO Box addresses. Therefore, if you are shipping through UPS, please use:

            Hope Walks 
            400 Main St., Suite C
            York Springs, PA 17372 

             

             

            19. How can I help more children born with clubfoot?

            Your act of painting a leather for a clubfoot brace is transforming the life of a child.

            Make your impact an ongoing thing by joining The Clubfoot Crew, our compassionate monthly donors. 

            • $150 a month, you will cover the cost of transportation for children and their families to and from the clinics each week.
            • $40 a month, you will cover the full treatment (including casts, braces and counseling) for one child each year. 
            • $20 a month, you will help 12 children a year by covering the cost of their braces.  
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            Engage with us on social media

            @hopewalksorg

            #PaintTheFutureBright