Free Arts NYC and Thanksgiving Day
On Monday night Brian and I went to an event for Free Arts volunteers in New York City. Free Arts is an incredible organization that works with abused children, using art as a conduit for building, or rebuilding in some cases, relationships between parent and child. One Pearl recently teamed up with Free Arts to develop fundraising efforts via jewelry sales, and we are excited about where that may lead…
At one point during the evening, our good friend Pat shared some of his most memorable experiences from his 6+ years of volunteering with Free Arts.
Pat spoke of a social worker coming over to him at the end of a particular program. She was in tears, and said that she’d never seen some of those kids smile before, and that day she saw them smile for the first time.
Art programs can be incredibly beneficial to those involved, and teach participants to express themselves within a safe and positive environment. Children are given the chance to have fun, create something totally their own, and share the experience with a parent or someone special to them. Busy hands working together or along side one another tend to have a positive and dramatic effect – that of opening the door to communication, which is the ultimate goal.
Brian and I are really excited about this collaboration, as One Pearl’s mission aligns so well with that of Free Arts.
Thanksgiving Day arrives in a few hours…
So this year, I have many things to be thankful for … for becoming aware of and involved with programs such as Free Arts, in addition to the non-profits we already support; for my family and good friends who continue to support me and encourage my efforts with One Pearl; for Brian who always seems to know how to do whatever needs to be done and who continues to work hard with me; and of course for my two sons, Graham and Ian, whom I am so happy to be celebrating tomorrow with…
Oh, and I’m very grateful for Brownie, too, our beloved golden retriever who is the most spoiled being in this household, rightly so!
