AURORA, Colo. — The Walk a Mile in Our Shoes (WaMOS) Foundation brings at-risk kids together to create custom art on footwear to highlight issues they face in everyday life.
Jerard Chapman founded the nonprofit and teamed up with The Boys and Girls Club and Aurora Public Schools.
The after-school program was halted once schools were forced to shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak.
"The opportunity for us to sit down in a very intimate session among the teachers, the other mentors and the students has been taken away," Chapman said. "It‘s more difficult to grasp that emotional connection with them."
That's why Chapman decided to take his movement online. He started a contest where kids come up with a custom shoe design. Chapman asks that kids research different societal issues that may affect them directly and express that through a shoe design.
"I don't want kids to worry that they're not as artistic as someone else," Chapman said. "It's the story that ties into it. That's where the impact is. That's how I will gauge where these kids are at when it comes to creativity."
The winner of the contest will get a new pair of shoes with their custom design on them. Chapman will use his artistic skills to paint the design on the shoes himself, he said.
Kids 10-18 years old have until April 17 to submit their designs to wamosfoundation@chozen22art.com.