Our wonderful teen volunteers helped bring in donations

Despite the rain, hundreds of folks came out to see the 5th Annual Fenders on Front Street Car Show in Issaquah on Father’s Day. Many stopped by our booth and entered to win a BBQ grill during our raffle and donated to help kids in crisis. We received a little media exposure, which let the locals know about Hallie’s journey through cancer (age 16, pictured above, left), and how her story inspired Art with Heart’s Oodles of Doodles book.

We raised a little over $1,200 which will go to support Art with Heart’s books and programs that help kids. Special thanks to the entire Holton family who rallied everyone to make it a success, and to Fenders on Front Street who invited us to participate.

12-year old Gavin had a great time selling raffle tickets to help other kids

Wow! Art with Heart would like to give a special shout out to the folks who helped make the GiveBIG event successful, bringing in over $16,000 (not including the shared match!) to help children in crisis!

Your generosity ensures that we can meet the ever-increasing demand for our therapeutic books and programs, and that our services will reach the children who need it the most. And your support came at the perfect time… demand for the Magnificent Marvelous Me book (which helps elementary aged children dealing with difficult family situations) had outpaced the availability. We had been shy of our goal, and were going to print less books than intended, but your generosity allows us to print the full run, which means that we can help 10,000 more children through this resource!

A very special thanks to the Seattle Foundation for helping to spread the goodwill to the community and beyond by encouraging the citizens of Seattle (and beyond) to get involved and make a difference through their dollars.

The community’s donations will be “share matched” – meaning that Art with Heart will receive a portion of the $500,000 that was raised specifically to be shared among charities that participated.

Out of good ideas on how to celebrate your dad on Father’s Day? Well, here’s one idea if you live in the greater Seattle area: bring him to Fenders on Front Street, in Issaquah. The event is free, but the Downtown Issaquah Association chose Art with Heart as one of two charities to benefit through donations and raffle drawings.

The first 250 children who come to Art with Heart’s booth will receive a free toy car donated by White Horse Toys. The top raffle prize is a $500 grill. Tickets are $5 each. Children will also have the chance to vote on their favorite car; winner gets a special “Kid’s Choice” award.

For more information, go to the event website or read this recent article from the Issaquah Press.

Art with Heart is thrilled to be a part of Give BIG, an unprecedented community fundraising challenge.

Join us on June 23 for the biggest-ever, one-day only charitable giving event that will match a share of every contribution made online here on that day.

Each and every online donation will be stretched further and increased, thanks to support for GiveBig from The Seattle Foundation and local businesses.

So, put it on your calendar and watch your charitable gift grow!!

On Wednesday, 25 men enjoyed a rousing night of steak, wine and poker to benefit Art with Heart. The group dined on delicious food by McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant in Bellevue, and played a wild Texas Hold Em poker tournament. Pulses raced, cards flew and chip stacks shoved all in as the tournament progressed. We are still tallying up all the donations and buy ins, so we won’t have a final number until next week, but know that this will go far in helping Art with Heart help more kids through our programs and outreach.

Congratulations to the top 3 finishers: Joe M, Ed S and Gabe M. Organizer Joe Michaels offers his sincere thanks to McCormick & Schmick’s, prize donors Gene Juarez Men’s Salon, Best Buy, and The Golf Club at Newcastle, and also to Gabe and Michael from Art with Heart. If you are a guy who wants to join the next event, please let Gabe know so we can add you to the invite list!

“Art is what saved us.”

A recent e-mail from a principal at North Avenue Elementary in Sacramento, California showed our Chill & Spill program helping low income youth cope with the frustration of the closing of their school.

Our school is closing and I am without a school counselor. At the beginning of this year, all of my teachers were trained in art integration strategies. I have given the Chill & Spill books to all of me 4-6 grade students. Many of the activities are self-guided by students or small group guided by the students themselves. I see it used primarily at their lunch recess.

I have had fewer behavior problems than one might expect at a school that is closing in a high poverty neighborhood. The Chill & Spill books gave them a place to express their frustration and anger about the school closure.

As a result, I am taking the concept and use of the Chill & Spill books with me to another elementary campus. Although the book is written at teenage level, 4th graders comprehend and respond well to the activities and concepts. Art is what has saved us!