Justin was one of those children you could tell hadn't quite found his niche. Nine years old and a little shy, he seemed to have an air of uncertainty about him. Like all of the children at Helping Hand Home, he had been emotionally scarred by the adults who were supposed to take care of him and he was trying hard to move on with his life. Justin tended to look down and shuffle his feet a little as he walked, but he seemed to undergo a transformation when it was time for Running Club on Friday afternoons. During Running Club, the children all gather in the large play yard and walk or run laps around a track. It is a chance for them to blow off the steam of a long school week, get some great exercise, and earn fun fitness-related prizes.

One addition to the Running Club program seemed to spark Justin's interest: Shoes for Austin agreed to partner with Helping Hand Home and provide a pair of running shoes for each child that met his goal of walking or running 150 laps. With each passing lap, you could see Justin's pride and confidence building. Soon, he decided that he was going to try to push himself just a little harder. He would say "Well, I ran 15 laps last week, so I am going to try to run 20 this week!" Each week as he met his personal short-term goal he seemed to stand a little taller and smile just a little wider. In fact, Justin was the Top Runner nearly every week! The day he reached his 150th lap, his smile was in full bloom as he tied the laces of his new Nike's and said, "I love these shoes! I am going to run SOOOO fast in them!" He wore those shoes everyday and his newfound smile with them. Shortly thereafter, Justin completed his treatment at Helping Hand Home and moved to a loving foster family. The children at Helping Hand Home are often asked to work on intangible, emotional goals such as learning to trust adults or learning to work in a group with peers. For Justin, the chance to attain a concrete, physical, easy-to-understand goal was the boost he needed to build his self esteem and give him the confidence to move on with his life.

Shoes for Austin has been instrumental in breathing new life into a program that has struggled in recent years by providing extra motivation for the children, as well as structure, support, and consistency for the program staff. Shoes for Austin helps organizations define goals and maximize the therapeutic value of each program they support.

Submitted by John Duck, Helping Hand Home for Children

"Geriatric patient Nancy exemplifies the reasons why the Shoes for Austin program works so well with our long-term population. Nancy came to ASH with a knack for pointing out people’s short comings, and she did so with tongue lashings that was handed out daily. If these did not suffice, she would turn to the ever popular crying technique to get her way and her say. Nancy was a handful.

Fortunately for her treatment team, the first cycle of Shoes for Austin was about to commence and Nancy was informed of the possibilities. She was told about the things she needed to accomplish in order to receive a pair of shoes--go to classes, participate actively, know her diagnoses and how to take her medication. She signed up.

One week later Nancy was sitting across from me telling me how happy she was and apologizing for how she had behaved upon arriving at ASH. Given the proper incentive, Nancy was able to see a goal, obtain it and maintain it. And, she got her new shoes! Nancy continued to do well until she left the hospital, and had actually turned into a model patient for others to emulate and seek out for guidance".

Submitted by Richard Richards
Activity Director, Specialty Services Austin State Hospital

"Derrick was a teenage boy admitted to CAPS for bipolar disorder. He also suffered from substance abuse. Due to the nature of his illness, Derrick had visual and auditory hallucinations. He was very withdrawn and isolated himself from his peers and hospital staff. Derrick did not talk much and was reluctant to participate in activities. He was also restrained a couple of times the first week he was admitted due to violent outbursts.

One day I was shocked to find a shoe contract filled out by Derrick. Derrick improved over time and was able to earn a large number of points in one week with no aggressive or assaulting behaviors during that week.
The day I told Derrick that he earned shoes he let out a little smile and told me in a sheepish voice, "Really! You think I can get some Air Jordan's?" I told him that we would get him a good pair of shoes that matched his good behavior.

I will never forget the day I gave Derrick his new pair of shoes. He was visiting with his mother when I gave him the shoe box containing a pair of silver and white New Balance shoes. I explained to his mom what Derrick had to do in order to earn the shoes. She was very impressed and gave her son a big hug. It looked like Derrick was a little embarrassed by the hug, but he was smiling from ear to ear. I don't think I ever saw Derrick wear the shoes he was admitted in again. Derrick was discharged a short time later"

Submitted by Richard Richards
Activity Director, Specialty Services Austin State Hospital

Past Success Stories