We got this letter the other day from a 10 year old boy who received Magnificent Marvelous Me from a Child Life Specialist…

I am 10 years old and wanted to let you know that this book is amazing and you should make more books that are similar and I would love that.

Before I did the book, I felt amazed by it.

After I did some of the book, I felt better with my feelings and how I am now.

The book so far has helped me with my feelings alot because I have been very scared to talk to my parents about my feelings and I can now talk about my feelings.

Buying or Selling a House? Your Giving Group Real Estate Team offers a simple way for you, as an Art with Heart Supporter, to make a big difference! When you chose them to be your Realtors, a donation in your name will be sent directly to Art with Heart upon closing by the escrow company. Visit their website or call 877-536-2355 for more information.

Friendy Wendy: Art with Heart supporter and jewelry designer Wendy Slonecker is donating $10 from the sale of each Art with Heart necklace to us! The beautiful handmade glitter and resin pendant comes on a triple strand of waxed linen cord and sterling silver adjustable chain.

Tasty Gallery & Artisan Shop: Check out the Calef Brown original artwork at the new Tasty Gallery & Artisan Shop at 7513 Greenwood Ave N. in Seattle. Owner Sheri Hauser will be carrying an Art with Heart original masterpiece on an on-going basis, with 100% of the purchase price benefiting Art with Heart.

City Year Young Heroes Program asked Art with Heart to participate in one of their service learning days on Feb. 27th.

Youth worker Babylonia told us, “We lead a diverse group of  middle schoolers – a good portion of them are at-risk and off track. Many of them live in neighborhoods rife with violence and struggle internally with anger and confusion.”

She asked Art with Heart to participate because she felt that a workshop on non-violent expression would be very good for the Heroes.  She was particularly interested in having Art with Heart do an activity out of Chill & Spill so they could learn how to use creativity as an effective outlet to deal with the issues facing them. She continues, “It would be very relevant to our topic, and would be a way to finally engage the kids in art in our program!”

Their service topic was “The Roots of Conflict,” and they covered youth violence, gang/community violence, and methods of peaceful communication. Art with Heart invited Dr. Ana Sierra, a child & community psychologist with 30+ years experience in the field to lead the workshop. She has been an avid supporter and contributor to Art With Heart since first discovering “Oodles of Doodles” many years ago.

Dr. Ana led all 55 students in Chill & Spill’s “Powerful/Powerless” activity, focusing on their strengths. She then asked them to use these strengths as a starting point for an “Exquisite Corpse” poem.

Babylonia told us that she was amazed at how much the students shared when they were done. “I’ve never seen them want to share so much! It was amazing.”

Ana recalls, “Our Young Heroes learned strategies to access their deep, knowing selves and express their precious pearls of experience and wisdom. As they learn to connect with their communities in active, compassionate ways, Chill & Spill activities prepare them for this important work by helping them to know themselves better, act confidently, and react peacefully.”

You can contact Dr. Ana Maria Sierra at 253-686-5184.

Christine Valdez is a Prevention and Intervention Specialist at Anacortes Middle School who has been using Chill & Spill or over two years now. We’ve asked her to send us her updates and will post them here as she has time to share:

Last week we did “My Place.” Every time I’ve done this activity with a group, I have to sort of feel around for the frame of reference. But with this group I felt like I was just going along for the ride.

All of them knew right away what their special place was, some were real, some imaginary, some an amalgam. And most of them already had a lot of practice of going to their special place when things were tough.

I was mesmerized by their descriptions of their places and how they brought in so many of the senses. Listening to them, I could smell and, in some case, even taste what they were describing. When we talked about the activity afterward, the main focus was on ways we can solidify the place in our minds so we can go there any time. So we decided that next week (today) we would do collages of our special spaces to really help us see them.

I also started recruitment for a second group, to start next week. That one will be all boys, since this one turned out to be all girls.

Christine Valdez is a Prevention and Intervention Specialist at Anacortes Middle School who has been using Chill & Spill for over two years now. We’ve asked her to send us her updates and will post them here as she has time to share:

I started a new Chill & Spill series with a group of four 7th and 8th grade girls. Two of them have past experience with C&S, one individually and one in a group.

We did the first activity, “Writing and Drawing Can Help You Figure Stuff Out.” Because our time is very short, I’m trying to keep my talking to a minimum. So I just gave them the basic instructions about confidentiality and stressed that I have two things that are big with me:

1. Whatever comes out, comes out. Just let it.
2. Keep the pen (crayon, pencil, marker, whatever..) on the paper.

Some great stuff can come out at the point where you think you’re done. And that’s what they did as they sprawled all over the room. Afterward, we shared just a little and they were off to their next class.
I haven’t done a group since last June and it was great to be back. Looking forward to the next session! More to come!

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

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!

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.

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.

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.