Sole Hope Belt & Buckle

Lookie here! We have a new item in our STORE (click on the red button above). Fosterweld has created a belt and buckle combo especially for Sole Hope! These belts and buckles are top of the line. The buckles are handmade. Every Fosterweld buckle is MIG welded, with a hand-bent bracket/ loop that attaches to the belt, and a rounded post/ prong that slips perfectly into your belt hole. After getting them into just the shape you desire, we paint them with acrylic, distress them carefully, and spray 'em with an automotive-grade poly-cote that's as gorgeous as it is protective. All so you can pair your new buckle with the belt of your choice and rock some personally crafted fashion that puts mass-stamped mall stuff to shame.

Fosterweld is all about mixing business with leather. They find that cows do their best work, giving them some primo hide. They thank them by cutting and coloring (and cracking, if that's how you roll) every belt by hand, giving each a finish that's completely unique and ready to keep your pants up in style.

All belts are SNAP belts and can be used with any buckle except MINI / BAILOUT. (For that you'll need the THIN belt. It's special.)

Pick your size based on your DENIM size: XS:26-29 S:28-31 M:30-33 L:32-35 XL: 34-37 XXL:36-39. So, for example, if you wear a 34x34 jean, you'd order an L.

Now go buy and change a life...(and I'm not just talking about yours when you get your super sweet belt)


To purchase one of these beauties go to our online STORE at the top of this blog.


(Check out the 40 second video below)

Sole Hope Shoe Workshop

This weekend Sole Hope led a 2-day workshop in Raleigh, NC for the people at MBC. There was a great turnout of people who were eager to hear about Sole Hope and get involved. MBC will be continually making shoes for Sole Hope to help clothe the feet of orphans around the world. Check out the video from the weekend.

West to East

The word is spreading!  The mission and vision of Sole Hope is infiltrating the lives of those with plenty (IE, Americans) and is shedding light on how tragic it is for medical reasons to not be able to wear shoes.

A couple days ago we received a box from Washington State...over 60 pairs of shoe uppers ready for us to take to Africa in 16 days.  Shoe cutting parites have been taking place all over the United States and the results are GREAT!

This week our board chair, Hilary Black went to south Florida to teach others about Sole Hope!  This is what she had to say,

"I did shoe cutting with 1st through 8th graders (1-3rd did painting on canvas to be made into shoes) yesterday and today with the 6th - 8th graders and tomorrow I will be at the school again making more. On Wednesday the 6th - College kids will be making shoes too! All of the kids watched the video that inspired us about jiggers and it was pretty amazing seeing their reactions...and it really made an impression on many of them. The shoes are super spunky with an assortment of fabrics! Here are some pictures.

Also in April there will be a Love Wins festival and the high school wants to set up a Sole Hope booth that will be showing the video and allowing people to sit down and make a pair of shoes along with selling t-shirts."

Since in previous posts I told you I would help you get to know our board of directors, (just not all at one time!) this seems like a good time to introduce you to Hilary.  She is an amazing woman with a fun-loving personality.  She has a 3 year old daughter and is married to a pretty cool guy who she helps with his PR business.  She was the district manager for Starbucks for over 10 years and is loaded with business savvy and go get 'em!  All that said, she is just awesome and so fun to work with and since embracing Sole Hope together (thus spending mass amounts of time in each others lives) I am honored to call her my friend.  

Anyway, isn't that awesome!  Kids are getting involved, adults are getting involved and TOGETHER we will impact the lives of thousands through a simple pair of shoes!  If you would like to host your own shoe cutting party at a school, home, church or somewhere more creative send us an email!  solehopeafrica@gmail.com

We are counting down the days until we leave, and in doing that have made some large strides in the direction we are heading.  Our book is almost ready!  And it looks AMAZING if I do say so myself.  It will not be fancy...we have chosen to take donations and put shoes on kids feet instead of making a fancy book!  So, we have to thank Printville who has been SO gracious in helping us with this endeavor, our illustrator Michael Hayes and the trusty sewing machine I will be using to bind our first 200 books myself.  (PS-if you want to help and live in the Asheville Area let me know!)  

Also, (SO excited about this!) Hugh Wright (above) will be joining us on this trip.  Life has just aligned to open the doors for him to be able to go to Africa with us!  Two weeks ago this would have been impossible...but wait, ALL things are possible with God.  He has opened the doors for Hugh to go...16 days away from travel.  For those of you that have been following from the beginning, do you remember how soon my first trip was pulled together for Africa?!  QUICKLY, because when it is supposed to happen, it will happen.  Not in our time, but in HIS.

Trip Update 19 Days

Sewing Class for Africa

Today Holly and Patrick came over to learn to make shoes...why?  Because they will be helping me teach women in Africa in 19 days!  I'm showing them how "easy" it is.  

 Holly and Patrick cutting out their shoes...we ended up getting Patrick bigger scissors when his thumb turned blue.  :)  I'm just trying to prepare them for Africa...its all about perspective as Patrick says.

 Patrick sewing for the first time ever, and he did great!!!

 And poor Holly's machine broke, like usual and so she had to sew her shoes by hand.  It again was a good time to practice for when we are in Africa and the machines break...then what?!  Well, then you sew it by hand!  

Easy as pie!

(of course tomorrow I will sew the upper to the sole)

Shoe Making

I have had several people ask about getting a job with Sole Hope making shoes.  Sole Hope wants to not only teach a trade to those needing jobs in Africa, but we want to make a difference in our home town, Asheville, NC.  The ideal person for this job would be someone who has struggled in the past but has made changes in their life and is trying to start over.  This person needs to be reliable, a hard worker and have a good attitude.  After all, you will be making a difference while making shoes.  The shoes made here in Asheville will be sold in Asheville with half of the proceeds going to build up Sole Hope in Zambia and Uganda by empowering more women to make shoes, and then the shoes going to orphans at no cost.

If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of register for the 5 week Elevate shoe making class by going to: www.elevatelifeandart.com
OR
If you just want to learn how to make shoes for whatever reason, you too should go sign up!  For more details go to: www.elevatelifeandart.com

If you have questions please email us at solehopeafrica@gmail.com

The Elevate classes will be two hour classes for five weeks.  They will take place at 34 S. Lexington St. in downtown Asheville.  Classes are $5 a class.  If you cannot afford that please let us know by sending us an email and we would be glad to waive the fee for those that are interested in working for Sole Hope at some point.  You do not need to have any sewing experience.  We will provide the machines and all the materials.

I hope you can join me for these fun classes!  Go sign up by going to the link above-class size is limited.


Class description:

Shoe Making • Asher Collie
Thursday 3:45-5:35 | Class begins March 24th
This shoe making class is for the person who has no to some shoe making experience. The vision for this class was birthed through Sole Hope, a local non profit that provides shoes for those in need. (www.solehope.com) The purpose of this class will be to learn the basics in shoe making, but more importantly, how to make a very simple shoe in a child’s size that will be durable and comfortable. By the end of this class you will be able to make a shoe from a pattern, sew it together and use a regular and industrial sewing machine. If you would like to make a pair of shoes to keep please bring your own materials. (please let us know before the first class so we can let you know what materials to bring) If you do not bring your own materials we will provide everything, but we ask that your shoes be donated to an orphan through Sole Hope.

Hope Is Coming

Whenever the posts on this blog are spread out...you must know something is going on!  We have a lot of somethings going on with Sole Hope right now.  We have been swamped with shoe cutting parties (contact us through www.solehope.com if you want more info) and planning our trip to Zambia and Uganda...yep, you read that right, we are now going to Uganda in March also!!!  We have a three day trip that will be filled with speaking and teaching coming up for myself and Beth Gaffney (a board member) at the end of February and between now and then I must teach several more people here in the US how to make shoes, get our industrial sewing machine fixed, make lesson plans for the Elevate School of Life and Art classes on shoe making I will be teaching and....I'll save the rest for some other time.  :)  Oh!  And notice our new Sole Hope "button" on the right!  You can now share Sole Hope with your blog readers...just copy and paste the code below the button!  We have lots of supplies to buy for our trip to Africa in March.  Topping the list is thread, needles and money for fabric we will buy in country.  If you feel led to donate to any of those items we would be SO thankful!

Every now and then I go back and read the old Sole Hope blog.  There has been so much growth in Sole Hope this past year.  One previous post that reminded me of things I hoped I'd never forget was the following:

The story of his feet: The little boy whose feet are pictured above have walked many miles.  He heard of the white people who had come to a village near his.  Today he is hoping we have brought something to pass out.  Maybe clothes, food or…a pair of shoes.  You see, he walked six miles each way to get to us…through trash, over rocks, through thorn bushes and crumbled cement.  This child patiently stood next to me, watching intently my every move.  His brow was furrowed for the first little while and his face sullen.  We could not speak to one another-he did not know my language and I did not know his.  I bent down to take a picture of his feet and he slowly looked away.  He approached me after some time had passed and asked in very broken English with a whisper in his voice, “Madam, may I have a pair of shoes?”  My heart broke.  I wished he knew why I was there, because I was working on getting them ALL a pair of shoes.  I tried to explain to him that when I came back I’d have a pair of shoes but for the moment I had nothing, except a hug and a smile and a song.  I bent down and looked in his big brown eyes.  I spoke some words in English to bring him hope.  He did not understand, so I sang him a song.  He slowly lifted his head and gave me a smile...and soon I'll return and give him a pair of shoes.  My heart is burdened until I can bring him and the others like him shoes.  

We cannot bring them the supplies to make shoes until we financially have enough money to buy those supplies.

Did you know that with that handy little button to the right labeled “Donate” you can make a quick donation to our shoe project?  You can make a one time donation or a reoccurring donation.  Once you do that, this is your project too.  I know everyone can’t take off time from their families, work and daily commitments, and we understand that.  So, to make things a little easier than flying to Africa with us we want to humbly ask for a donation for these sweet little children that need shoes on their feet SO badly! Will you give, even a small amount today?

-Asher Collie