Please join us as we express our gratitude to military personnel and their families through the
Paint for Freedom program.
Paint for Freedom cards are hand painted and contain a loving message of support. They provide a way for us to let those who have sacrificed for our freedom know how much it means to us.
The idea is simple. SDP members paint a card of encouragement, sign the back and present it to a veteran or current member of the military who needs a lift. These cards are also an appropriate way to show gratitude to the families of those whose lives have been lost while on a military assignment. When the recipient is feeling better, he or she can put their own name on the back and pass it on to someone else to give them an emotional boost. The card is painted on a wooden surface, so it is durable and can be passed on and on, making many lives brighter.
We have included six free Paint for Freedom card patterns. Select and paint your favorites, or create a design of your own. Contact your local Veterans Hospital and ask the volunteer coordinator how many patients are receiving in-patient treatment there. This will give you an idea of how many cards to paint. The week of Veterans Day is an especially good time to gather your hand painted cards and deliver them. Remember military personnel and their families, too, during the holidays. In addition to visiting the hospital, don’t forget the military personnel in your life—the friends, neighbors, and family members who have sacrificed so much for your safety and freedom.
Please enjoy our gallery of Paint for Freedom cards by SDP members. We’d love to add your card to the gallery. Simply mail a photo (jpeg format, please!) of your finished card to teri@decorativepainters.org
We hope you and your chapter members will work together to create as many cards as possible to present to those who have served. Be sure to contact your local newspaper and television stations to let them know about your involvement in Paint for Freedom. See Get Involved and Spread the Word on the resources tab.
The Surface
The designs are painted on a 5 ¾” by 7 ¾” wooden card. It has slots on the left-hand edge that can be laced with ribbon, raffia, waxed string, leather or the cord of your choice. There are two card styles from which to choose: a solid card with decorative corners and a scalloped-edged card with an oval cut-out.
The card is available from SDP by contacting Shandi at (316) 269-9300, ext. 110. You can also e-mail her. Cost of the card is $6, plus shipping and handling.
Please request the shipping rate for your area when placing your order.
Inside Your Card
Write your own supportive message or use this beautiful original poem by Dorothy Dent. Simply photocopy or scan the poem, or handwrite a message. Cut it out with craft scissors to create a decorative edge. Or trim around the poem or message with regular scissors, then carefully burn a border (the safest way to do this is over your sink!). Glue the poem in place inside your card.
Download poem - pdf
Get Involved and Spread the Word
Create a public relations sensation by letting your local news outlets know about your Paint for Freedom: Pass It On project.
Download info on promoting Paint for Freedom - pdf
Gold Star Mothers and the Paint for Freedom Program...
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Dear SDP Members:
These wonderful cards, created by New England artists, were gifts for the Gold Star Mothers and veterans to share on Valentine's Day in 2009. It was a tremendous feeling to be able to extend such a wonderful program to the mothers and veterans and to watch as they interacted with each other through this heartfelt program. The veterans know who we are when we arrive and they look forward to our visits. As Gold Star Mothers, it is our mission to support our veterans, especially those in hospitals and veterans’ homes. This time when we visited we brought handmade treasures—artistic expressions of the support and dedication that our fellow Americans feel. Through these precious expressions of gratitude and prayer for those who have given and lost so much, I watched the mothers and veterans connect in a way I had never imagined possible. It was so special. Mothers who had lost their own sons and daughters in service, and veterans who had given all that they could for their country and fellow man, were united through these wonderful works of art. The mothers cherished the opportunity to give to their soldiers an expression of heartfelt caring, and the soldiers gratefully accepting these gestures of kindness and support. I only wish that you could have seen this beautiful exchange.
I would like to thank the Society of Decorative Painters for inviting us to participate as Gold Star Mothers in this inspiring and heartwarming program. It gives us a sense of comfort and joy I have difficulty expressing. I hope that I will be able to help this program grow so that it will one day reach mothers and veterans across this great land and beyond.
With sincere gratitude,
Kathryn T. Cross
American Gold Star Mother of
Tyler J. Connely U.S. Navy Seal
KOD January 15, 2002 in Keflavik , Iceland
Paint for Freedom - Pass it On Gallery...
All photographs used with permission
Have you created a Paint for Freedom: Pass It On card?
Share it with us! E-mail a photo in jpeg format to teri@decorativepainters.org
