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STATE 02: Maine
DESIGN TITLE: Don’t Panic
VETERAN: Chris Moore, U.S. Army
ARTIST: Morgan Gelfand
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
MADE IN U.S.A.
[HAS HEART] is partnering with Alpha Industries, an American military heritage brand founded in 1959, to produce a capsule collection featuring the designs from the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United working tour. All of the products are printed and/or Made in the USA, with 25% of the proceeds going directly to the Veteran who designed them with their artist partner.
Scroll below to view the current offering of shirts and patches, and click to purchase them online at www.alphaindustries.com. Don’t miss any future releases — subscribe to our email newsletter to be notified of the latest designs and special releases yet to come.
“BY SHARING YOUR STORY WITH AN ARTIST,
IT BECOMES SOMETHING CREATIVE…
THE DESIGN IS A PIECE OF YOU, AND BY RELEASING IT,
YOU WILL HOPEFULLY BE IMPACTING OTHERS.”
-Monique Brown, Veteran
[HAS HEART] is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization established by 8-year U.S. Navy Veteran, Michael Hyacinthe and artist/designer, Tyler Way. Originally united over a cup of coffee in 2010, they quickly discovered the disconnect between their two worlds.
They realized the power of the creative process once Michael met a local quadriplegic Marine who loved t-shirts and asked Tyler to co-create a design that shared his story. Since then, the HERO[series] has continued to pair Veterans with designers for the shared mission to tell their story through the mediums of art, design, and fashion.
. . . . .
“Without their sacrifice, there is no freedom of…”
“ALL VETERANS HAVE A STORY TO TELL.
DESIGNERS SHOULD USE THEIR ABILITY TO TELL THEIR STORIES,
TO CREATE, AND TO BE ABLE TO START A CONVERSATION.”
-Victor Melendez, Designer
We believe in the mantra, “Many hands make light work,” and for a nimble, grassroots nonprofit organization, this is an essential truth. There are a handful of ways you can support this mission: Shop Online, Donate, Fundraise, Sponsor, and Participate:
We are incredibly thankful for our growing list of donors, sponsors, and partners. To learn how you and/or your business can sponsor a state project, EMAIL US for more information.
We’ve made an ambitious commitment to impact more Veterans, engage more creatives, and reach more civilians through our “50 States: Veterans + Artists United” working tour. To make it happen, we’re searching for like-minded individuals, businesses, brands, and corporations that share our passion for Veterans and the creative arts.
After spending a couple nights in a holding pattern in parking lots at a Cabela’s in Maine then a Walmart in New Hampshire, we finally packed up the car with drinks and snacks for the road and a hour or so drive later, we found ourselves already in Portsmouth – 68 miles later! We didn’t even get a chance to start eating our Peanut Butter m&m’s. Sad, I know.
After leaving Vermont, we headed east and rolled into White Mountain National Forest near Gilead, Maine. We stopped along the Wild River and immediately became aware of our surroundings: birds singing, not another person or car in sight, the freshest air we’ve ever smelled, the cool shade of the trees with sun occasionally poking through, and the peaceful sound of the flowing water. With a billion moving pieces and living things constantly around us, there aren’t many things in the world that can be called perfect, but this moment was perfection.
After over a year of planning, countless emails, pitches, grant applications, conference calls, and meetings, the day to hook up the Airstream and hit the road arrived. Our journey to our first state project in Vermont included a pit stop at Niagra Falls to kickstart our new nomadic life on the road.
As a part of the Texas state project of the “50 States: Artists + Veterans United” tour hosted by USAA in partnership with AIGA Austin, HAS HEART will share how the mediums of art, design, and fashion are uniting the military, creative, and civilian communities.
Years in the making, a partnership with AIGA and its 70+ chapters made up of over 25,000 creative-minded members is the key for the future of the HERO[series]. As a small nonprofit organization, [HAS HEART] is the connection point for a cross-cultural exchange between a Veteran and a designer. Having the largest organization for design means the doors are opening wide for more Veterans to share their stories.
In November, Sgt. (Ret.) Eric Lund received a call he’s always been waiting for but never knew when it would come… On the other end of the line was a voice telling him they found a match and he and his family needed to catch the 4pm flight that afternoon from Grand Rapids, MI to Baltimore, MD. He was going-in for a double-arm transplant.
For help when it’s difficult to know what to say, [HAS HEART] has partnered with Michigan-based greeting card company, Design-Design to create a line of greeting cards (made in Grand Rapids, MI) to help our fellow Americans share their support for those who served.
One day while we stayed in a Target parking lot between state stops, Kendra bought a faux pumpkin along with some acrylic paints and brushes to bring a little Fall feeling to our Airstream — [HAS HEART] edition, of course!
As amazing as it is living and working on the road, it can be quite exhausting. Living in an Airstream makes you think about things you may have taken for granted previously: location to sleep/where to park the trailer, water consumption, water waste, electricity, waste disposal – aka the stinky stuff. One thing we don’t have to worry about anymore is if we’ll be getting a good night’s sleep.
Planning and executing a fifty-state tour doesn’t just happen overnight. This concept was brewing for almost two years and required a handful of life changes to prepare for this dramatic lifestyle change. And even then, it came together last minute with a few miracles and a handful of incredible people making it possible along the way.
FOLLOW THE JOURNEY: