OUR MISSION

The Global Art Initiative's mission is to break the poverty cycle for disabled artists in Third World Countries. We are a non-profit focused on education and the sale of original artwork to benefit handicapped artists globally. We engage children and adults in art projects geared to developing an understanding of disability and the awareness that artistic ability is not limited by a disability.  Our hope is that through their experience with the Global Art Initiative, participants will take compassionate action, becoming donors in the larger shared humanitarian project.

Kids Paint Crutches for Polio Victims

 

Painting by Herold Alvares on display at jSpace Gallery
By Sara Bruestle
The Beacon, Edmonds, Washington
August 15, 2009

Children from Edmonds painted donated crutches with colored markers for polio victims in Haiti as part of the Global Crutch Project last week.

The Fabric of Life Foundation collaborated with the Global Art Initiative to host the project, which focuses on growing empathy and understanding in children for those with disabilities.

Kids decorated a pile of crutches with stripes, dots, swirls, zig-zags and messages on Aug. 15 in front of the Fabric of Life Boutique in downtown Edmonds.

Children from the Edmonds and Lynnwood Boys & Girls clubs also decorated crutches for the project.

"Kids get to produce some artwork and know that they’re helping provide mobility for people who need in Haiti,” said Laurie Berg, domestic coordinator of the Global Art Initiative. “The beautiful thing is, there will be U.S. kids’ artwork created in love walking the streets of Haiti.”

The non-profit Global Art Initiative, or the Great GAIN, helps disabled artists in third world countries support themselves through the sale of their artwork. Its projects, like the Global Crutch Project, work to break down the barriers to the disabled with the exchange of art and ideas.

"It’s about compassion and loving and sharing with others and to help all around the world,” said Robert Hatcher, 11, who helped decorate a crutch at the Edmonds Boys & Girls Club. “We have a lot of stuff and others don’t, so we should help them if we can.”

The crutches will be numbered and cataloged, and photos posted on the GAIN Web site, so that the children can see who received their crutches in Haiti, Berg said.

“It felt like I made a difference,” said 10-year-old Hailey Zimmerman, who also helped decorate a crutch at the Edmonds Boys & Girls Club. “It feels good to let people across the world know there are people who care and want to help them.”

The Global Crutch Project it’s just about artwork, Berg said. It’s also about building community through community service.

“People in the community are coming together to collect crutches,” Berg said. “Every other person I’ve talked to has an old pair of crutches sitting in the garage.”

The Donor Closet of Edmonds, Edmonds Senior Center Thrift Store, and the Edmonds and Lynnwood Boys & Girls clubs donated crutches for the project.

“It’s the right thing to do,” said Bella Hatcher, 9, who drew circles, swirls and the message ‘You’re a really good artist. I hope you like these crutches’ on a crutch at the Edmonds Boys & Girls Club.

The project is on-going: Kids can still decorate crutches at the Fabric of Life Boutique and at both the Edmonds and Lynnwood Boys & Girls clubs, Berg said.

When Edmonds has filled a container with about 300 crutches, GAIN will ship them over to Haiti, Berg said.

“If we think creatively, we can solve all of these problems,” Berg said. “When people come together in little ways they can do big things. We want to leave that message with kids as well, that everybody doing a little bit is a lot.”

For more information on the Global Crutch Project visit www.globalartinitiative.org.