ORANGE, Ohio -- The two longtime friends who started Halo Heart Designs wear their feelings on their wrists.
And they’ve helped thousands of others do the same by creating jewelry to help nonprofits.
In fact, their motto is “Wear your words.”
“It’s just the connection; it’s making people feel connected in an emotional way,” explained Lindsay Flack, who operates Halo Heart Designs from her home in Orange in collaboration with partner Amanda Foley, who is based in Los Angeles.
“People tell me stories about when they were nervous about something they were going through, and they wear a bracelet that says, ‘You’ve got this’ or ‘She believed she could, and she did,’ and it got them through that time. To me, that’s meaningful,” Flack said.
The items created by Halo Heart Designs, from bracelets to necklaces and keychains, come with custom-made messages and can even feature the signature of a loved one. (John S. Matuszak, special to cleveland.com)
Flack and Foley create unique items that have benefited worthy causes across the country, working with everyone from major celebrities to local schools and organizations.
Their latest endeavor will support University Hospitals’ Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, one of the top pediatric healthcare facilities in the nation.
Getting started
Halo Heart Designs came about through a strong friendship, artistic aspirations and a desire to serve.
Flack, a native of Beachwood, grew up in a home that provided her with the foundation for her future success, with a father who was an entrepreneur and a mother with a creative side.
At the University of Arizona, she met Foley, who also was raised in a creative atmosphere and had her own artistic ambitions. They were roommates and sorority sisters, and maintained their ties after Flack returned to Northeast Ohio to launch a pottery studio and Foley went back to L.A. to work as a casting director for such feature films as “The Horse Whisperer,” starring Robert Redford.
It was while participating in a play group with Idina Menzel, star of “Wicked” on Broadway and “Frozen” on the big screen, that the actress noticed the jewelry Foley had fashioned and was wearing.
Menzel was looking for special souvenirs for her next tour, and asked Foley if she could create something for her. That’s when Foley, looking for a new direction in her life, contacted Flack, who was seeking a new project, as well.
And so Halo Heart Designs was born.
Amanda Foley, left, of Los Angeles, and Lindsay Flack, a Northeast Ohio native, have been friends since college and started Halo Heart Designs, which creates custom-made jewelry to benefit nonprofit organizations. Their latest project will benefit Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. (Photo Courtesy of Lindsay Flack)
Flack gives her friend credit for coming up with the name, which she said is symbolic of a circle of caring.
The bracelets created for Menzel, which were embossed with her signature, were a big hit and boosted her Broaderway organization that provides artistic experiences to girls in underserved communities.
Other celebrities and organizations soon got in touch, including YourMomCares, started by the mothers of performers Jonah Hill, Alicia Keys and others to advocate for better access to health care for children.
“We sold so many, we built the business backwards,” Flack said.
Foley says Flack is often the creative spark, while she is more organized and business oriented. “We know each other’s strengths.”
Pandemic challenges
In 2019, they were even included in the New York Times holiday gift guide.
And then COVID-19 hit.
The trade shows and merchandise parties that the women relied on were shut down. Luckily, their well-established web page buoyed the home-based business during the crisis.
The partners recognized the need in the community for moral support because of the pandemic, donating “I make a difference” key chains to area healthcare workers. (John S. Matuszak, special to cleveland.com)
The partners recognized the need in the community for moral support because of the pandemic, donating “I make a difference” key chains to area healthcare workers.
Flack was approached by Alexa Beegan and Ava Calabrese, students at Hawken Upper School, which her daughter attends, about creating items to help Rainbow Hospital. That connection led to their latest project.
Supporting Rainbow
Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital has been in operation for 130 years and has been listed as one of the top pediatric institutions in the country, especially in newborn care. Its physicians and staff take part in 750,000 patient encounters each year in 16 medical and 12 surgical specialties.
According to University Hospitals spokesperson Jenn Delost, the Halo Heart Designs fundraiser will support Rainbow’s child life services, which assist patients and their families in coping with life-changing illnesses. Proceeds also will benefit healthcare advocacy and education efforts.
Those who purchase a bracelet can choose from items with the Rainbow logo, and the words “Love” and “Make a Difference.”
Flack, whose own children have been treated at the hospital, calls herself “a huge Rainbow fan. … It’s an amazing, world-class organization. They do a lot to make everybody comfortable. You walk in and feel like you’re being taken care of.”
She hopes the bracelets raise awareness of the hospital, as well as dollars.
For Flack and Foley, the sky’s the limit for Halo Heart Designs.
They try to practice what they preach. Foley wears several of the 20 bracelets she owns. One has the lip prints from her mother, a kind of ever-present kiss, and another has the signature of her father, who passed away six years ago.
The personalized items allow patrons “to take something of their family with them,” Flack said.
Although a native of the West Coast, Foley enjoys visiting the North Coast. “I love Cleveland. I feel like I’m a part of it.”
Despite the pandemic and whatever else comes along, the women expect to follow their own inspirational affirmations to keep Halo Heart Designs shining.
“We want to use this opportunity to build bigger,” Foley said.
Information is available at www.halo-heart.com.
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Caring comes full circle for Halo Heart Designs - cleveland.com
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