9x12 collage
copyright Jo Reimer
I'm guessing that many of you are doing a lot for one another during this season of giving, doing for others as you'd like them to do for you.
One of my opportunities to give has been in aid of a young woman who suffered a life -changing accident in September and is now paralyzed from the shoulders down. Cherie is at a rehab facility learning to live in a new way and her brother and sister have given up their jobs to move in and help her.
Her lifelong friend, my online art buddy, Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson, has curated a gorgeous book, full of images contributed by many artists, (including the above image) which is for sale on Blurb, with all profits from the sale of the book going to benefit Cherie's rehabilitation. Art With Heart is available to view and buy at Blurb. What a wonderful gift to give to an art lover at Christmas, or any time of year.
Another project I've been working on is knitting hats, scarves, and fingerless gloves for homeless kids in our local school... around 1600 of them. Yarn shops have donated thousands of dollars worth of yarn and needles so that we can make beautiful items of exceptional quality to warm the hearts of these kids. Read about it at YarnFest here.
And still another group of friends gather to make quilts to give to kids at a summer camp for foster kids. And I've heard of a group of local fiber artists who give fabric and teach inmates to quilt at a local women's correctional institute.
Don't you just love it when people give from their hearts and use their skills to make life just a little better for others? What are you doing to help others?
Giving a little time to a group effort is magnified in untold ways.
Hi Jo!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting this! I love to glimpse how artists are changing the world.
Nice to be back catching up on my blogging friends. You are doing good stuff out there-you are an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jo from the bottom of my heart for your contribution to Cherie and this beautiful book. There is a dedication in the book that talks about the donation of funds, so if you give it to someone they will know where the money goes. It was certainly a labor of love and I hope that it shows! I am visiting her in Atlanta next weekend, I'll be sure to let her know just how much heart everyone put into their efforts! I'm going to go to see the Nutcracker with her and some other patients. It will be her first time out since the accident in September. It's the little things that we all take for granted that ultimately can mean so much.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous book!
ReplyDeleteJo, I love this message and your illumination of it. Thank you!
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