Project Happy Feet
WHERE IT STARTED
In September 2020 I came to the Bay of Plenty for my university clinical placement, and got a glimpse of what living in a small rural community is like. What particularly caught my eye was that I saw many kids come into the dental clinic without shoes on, even on a wet winter’s day. They often talked about how 2 or 3 siblings in the same family would share one pair of shoes.
While working with these children during my placement, I realised how sheltered and privileged my upbringing in Auckland has been. I have been working as an oral health therapist in this region of New Zealand for just over 2 years now and although we all do our best as clinicians, I feel that there is still so much that can be done for these young Kiwi kids, especially outside of work.
My project, Project Happy Feet, is to create and sell my artwork in order to raise funds to provide brand new shoes to all the children in the 0-1 decile schools in the Bay Of Plenty region. This includes a total of 29 schools and just over 3000 children.
This project started in February 2022 while I was on maternity leave, and as I have a large number of students to reach, this project will be slow and ongoing. Your contribution will be greatly appreciated as I will be taking orders based around my work schedule and life as a new mum. Big or small, every painting sold will make a difference, so contact me to place your order! If you don’t want any artworks, but would like to make a contribution towards the project, we would greatly appreciate your donation.
WHERE ARE WE NOW
As I have embarked on the journey of being a working mum, I continue to take painting orders around my schedule. So far, I have completed 3 schools from the list. The pure joy on the faces of these children helps make this journey enjoyable and motivates me to work harder!
We still have 26 schools and just under 3000 students to reach. Contact me or reach out via social media to place an order today! You can also make a donation so get in touch today!
Your donations can make a big difference!
Getting these shoes to the children is my priority, but putting the money together to purchase the shoes takes plenty of time- especially as I can only make one painting at a time. This means it can take up to 6 months just to put $300 aside for shoes.
To help speed this up, I'm reaching out to you to make a donation. Every dollar makes a difference!
You can use the donation box here to make a contribution.
THE SCHOOLS WE HAVE DELIVERED TO SO FAR
Read about each school by clicking the links below!
Starting with the smallest school on the list, I dropped off 17 brand new ADIDAS shoes. My 3 month old son joined me and had a lovely time getting cuddles! [22-06-2022]
24 shoes were dropped off to this lovely little school. The students sang songs in Maori and were extremely grateful. It was a heartwarming experience! [29-11-2022]
A beautiful little school overlooking the gorgeous green hills of rural New Zealand. 25 pairs of shoes were dropped off to smiling faces! A day full of hugs and tears! [13-12-2022]