January 15, 2010, 9:06 pm

Art with Heart is deeply grateful for its long-standing partnerships with hospitals and organizations, like the Starlight Children’s Foundation of Canada. The Foundation has been using Art with Heart’s therapeutic books for over five years, and most recently ordered nearly 2,000 Chill & Spill journals for hospitalized teenagers in its network of more than 100 hospitals and medical clinics throughout Canada.

The Starlight Children’s Foundation of Canada sent 100 kits, including a copy of Oodles of Doodles and various art supplies. Hospital Program Manager for the Foundation, Cathy Diamond, shared a story about a cancer clinic in Ottawa that came to her looking for a creative tool for the children in treatment. The Foundation provided 100 kits to the clinic which included a copy of Oodles of Doodles and various art supplies. The kids loved having something that was given to them during visits to the clinic and belonged to them.

“There is such a positive benefit for the kids who use the books,” says Cathy. “A strong part of Starlight’s mandate is to provide distractive entertainment and distractive therapy, which helps kids cope during difficult times. The books also provide a great icebreaker for child life specialists to help start a conversation with a child who is shy or frightened.”

For more than 25 years, Starlight Children’s Foundation has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses and life-altering injuries by providing entertainment, education and family activities that help them cope with the pain, fear and isolation of prolonged illness. To learn more about how Art with Heart supports the work of organizations and foundations, like Starlight Children’s Foundation, visit www.artwithheart.org

December 18, 2009, 2:24 pm

Talese Heckler is professional artist, designer and teacher in Seattle. She’s also been a friend to Art with Heart for several years. She recently decided that in 2010, she wants to give 10% of all proceeds from her “Heart Art” series sales to help the efforts of Art with Heart.

We had a chance for some Q&A with Talese and here is what she had to say:

How did you get involved with Art with Heart?

I met Steffanie (the founder) about 6 years ago at a holiday dinner. Since our first meeting, we’ve run into each other at various times – I was a co-captain at the breakfast and have donated a percentage of my sales in the past. After a while, I began to feel like a fair-weather friend and wanted to do something more routinely, which is how I decided to donate a percentage of sales in 2010.

Why did you choose Art with Heart as the beneficiary?

Their work has so much integrity and passion, and I have been lucky to see the organization grow and get stronger each year. I wanted to support the misson – what Steffanie is doing is so fabulous. The idea of giving back to support the community – especially youth – is really a team effort. Anything I can do to foster that is beneficial.

In your own experience, do you see that the use of art can be therapeutic?

Absolutely – any time you are experiencing, producing or learning about art, there is a natural connection with yourself. My own personal teaching style is to first create a safe space for the artist, then provide guidance and support to help them go deeper into areas of their inner self to help them connect and heal.

Are you planning more hearts to add to the series?

Oh, yes! I’m always painting hearts. Its an ongoing series of mixed media – I use fabrics, found objects and wire in addition to the paintings.

If people want to see or purchase your artwork, what should they do?

There will be a February launch for the Hearts series at my studio in West Seattle and I’m planning a show in Queen Anne for the early spring. Also, I have various shows around town, as well as a new website. People can contact me through the site. In the future, I hope to create a way for people from out of town to make purchases through the website. For those of you interested in seeing Talese’s work or finding out more about her upcoming show, please visit her website at www.taleseheckler.com.

Thank you Talese for taking the time to talk with us!

December 7, 2009, 4:02 pm

Hotel 1000 really knows how to throw a party!

The kick-off celebration of their “12 Days of Comfort, Joy & Cheer”  came to life with a fashion show and live auction, which raised over $8,000 to support Art with Heart’s programs to help children in crisis.

The evening began with snowflakes that fell outside the doors. Guests enjoyed scrumptious hors d’ourves from  BOKA KITCHEN + BAR.The auction offerings ranged from a weekend away to Napa Valley to tickets to see Oprah in Chicago!

The celebration continues through the rest of the month with 12% of the proceeds from the sale of the 12 Days hotel packages, spa treatments, BOKA menu items and gift cards that will be donated to Art with Heart.

Hotel 1000 is also  featuring its second annual 12 Days Shopping Passport Program with participating West Edge neighborhood boutiques and specialty retailers giving a 12% donation to the charity on purchases made this month. For more information, please visit Hotel 1000.

October 7, 2009, 10:16 am

What a wonderful way to start the morning!

300 bright-eyed guests filled the Grand Ballroom for Art with Heart’s third annual “Color of Hope Benefit Breakfast” on Tuesday, September 29. Photos of children’s smiling faces filled the lobby and hand-made flowers filled the ballroom with feelings of hope and happiness, as  guests learned about the meaningful way in which Art with Heart has been helping youth in crisis.

Benefit Breakfast Committee Chair Ame Lewis kicked the morning off by acknowledging the contributions of the sponsors and donors, highlighting the generosity of the Purple Heart sponsor, Marler Clark, whose outstanding support since 2004 has allowed Art with Heart to reach thousands of children through its therapeutic books and programs.

To see a full listing of all the donors, please visit artwithheart.org/events/coh-heroes.

Art with Heart’s fundraising goal was $85,000. The breakfast benefit serves as the organization’s only major fundraiser for the year. Although the goal was not reached, we raised close to $70,000 in gifts and pledges, which is remarkable given the state of the economy.

Board President Madzy Besselaar branded the event a success in other ways, saying, “Even though we haven’t meet our financial goal yet, this has still been a wonderful event that inspired and moved those who attended. For those who were unable to be there, you still have the opportunity to help us reach our original goal with your online donation.”

At the event, Steffanie Lorig, Founder and Executive Director, shared highlights from a year-long evaluation study on the positive effects of Chill & Spill on high-risk youth (which you can read about on an upcoming blog post).

Our keynote speakers were George Gonzalez, Deputy Director from Casey Family Programs, and Stephanie Collier, mom and Art with Heart volunteer.

George spoke about his observations about the youth in foster care who have been helped by Art with Heart’s “Chill & Spill” program. Said George, “If it’s raining outside, I can’t make it stop, but I can give kids like Tina and Mikey an umbrella to try to help them stay dry. And really, that’s what Chill & Spill helps us do… give them something that can teach them how to cope, how to connect and how to explore their identities and emotions in a safe and healthy way.”

Stephanie shared her story of her son, Patrick’s, journey through leukemia and how Oodles of Doodles transformed their hospital experience and gave both Patrick and his brother a way of expressing the sorrow and fear they both felt during his illness. Stephanie also told the audience that after Patrick passed away, she became a volunteer for Art with Heart, bringing the “Chill & Spill” program to a group of girls in a residential treatment center and the transformation she observed, “These C&S workshops gave the girls a way to work through their pain; it gave them a voice and a vehicle to get out all the junk inside of them and not have to hold it all in. To an outsider, it might have appeared that the girls were just drawing, but what we all knew was that we were communicating, connecting and giving voice to what was inside of them.”

Board member Bob Bowen reminded us that “Your investment today is far less expensive than what happens to a child who doesn’t get help early-on in life.” Please, keep those donations coming! We are confident we can still make our goal and provide a solid base for Art with Heart to be able to reach more children in the coming year.

Click here to see more photos (by Kristi Lloyd) that reveal the joyous spirit of the morning.

June 12, 2009, 12:48 pm

city of ember online download Last year, Art with Heart was blessed by Barbara Brown, who is a professional in the film industry (former script supervisor for Northern Exposure). She told her colleagues about Art with Heart and asked them to donate their time while she directed the shoot for our 2008 fundraising video.

Over a four month period, she and her crew followed us as we talked to youth who had gone through our programs, families who had been affected by our work, as well as professional mental health care workers who saw the value in our work.

She called today to let us know that the video won a Silver Telly Award in the fundraising video category – the highest award they grant. The Telly Awards receives over 13,000 entries annually from all over the world and annually showcases the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, etc.

Special thanks also to the volunteer team who made it all possible: her husband Neil, along with Guido Ronge, Mark Anderson, Angie Bernardoni, Christina Ratcliff, Steve Colgrove, Bob Marts, David Wulzen, Vincent Gates, Mary Anne Dorward, and the folks at Clatter & Din.

Watch the Art with Heart video here!

Pictured above: Barbara (Babs) Brown, Maria Strauss and father Doug Strauss.