Kansas City, MO — Nonprofit HALO launches its 3rd Annual #ArtDoesGood online fundraising campaign to continue serving as the foundation of a family for thousands of at-risk and homeless children. This is a 13-week campaign April 18-July 18. Participants can join anytime. The overall goal is to raise over $5,000, which would support 26 kids to attend the HALO Learning Center for one year.
“Homeless kids need a safe place to heal from their traumatic past,” said HALO Founder and CEO Rebecca Welsh. “At HALO, we’ve seen that art heals and supports the mental health of our kids. We invite you to join this fundraising campaign to support our HALO Learning Centers so we can continue to provide homeless children with therapeutic art, safety, support, and a path to future success. On average, it costs $200 per year for a kid to come to the HALO Learning Center, which is about $16 per month.”
Individuals and teams of all ages can create their fundraising page at haloworldwide.org/artdoesgood to start their campaign. They can ask for donations and are encouraged to do art along with HALO kids. Learn more at https://youtu.be/c6y-Cp9vBjQ.
“We believe in the work that HALO is doing and love that art is unique and fundamental to HALO's mission,” said Welsh. “HALO believes art heals, transforms lives, and gives children a safe outlet for self-expression when they feel they don't have a voice.”
The #ArtDoesGood campaign kicked off exclusively with ClubHALO members, along with ClubHALO Ambassador Sophie Grace, actor and a 16-year-old Emmy Award®-winning star of The Baby-Sitters Club (“Kristy Thomas”). In addition, to artist Jack Barker, creator of Monstar. Both teen celebrities are encouraging kids to join their team to raise funds for HALO and will award the top fundraisers with their own art they have created. ClubHALO is a volunteer program for kids and teens who want to put their compassion into action. HALO provides ClubHALO members education, activities and achievable awards to make a positive impact for children facing homelessness.
According to research published May 30 in JAMA Network Open, volunteering may boost kids’ well-being. Volunteering through school, a religious organization, or a community group is associated with better overall health and wellness among children and adolescents, the researchers found. Compared to kids who hadn’t participated in community service in the past year, those who had were 34% more likely to be in excellent or very good health, 66% more likely to be considered “flourishing” (a positive measure of overall well-being), and 35% less likely to have behavioral problems. Kids ages 12 and older who volunteered were also roughly 25% less likely to have anxiety than peers who didn’t.
HALO Learning Centers across the globe utilize art as a powerful tool to promote healing for HALO youth. Youth who attend the Learning Centers have experienced varying degrees of childhood trauma, including abuse, neglect and homelessness, that they must begin to heal from in order to visualize themselves with a positive, stable future. Rather than having HALO youth explain to yet another person or stranger what has happened to them in the past, HALO gives them the expressive outlet of art to tell their story, to get to know them, and to begin that healing process. Through this method, HALO has seen positive results such as beautiful memorials made for loved ones a child has lost, to youth learning how to accurately identify and express their emotions using different paint colors.
The HALO #ArtDoesGood Fundraising Campaign is April 18-July 18, 2023. Participation can start anytime. The campaign goal is to raise $5,000. Interested individuals, groups and businesses can learn more and get involved at http://haloworldwide.org/artdoesgood, email [email protected] or call 816-472-4256.
ABOUT HALO:
HALO believes every child should have the foundation of a family. Since 2005, HALO has provided love in the form of housing, healing and education to heal homeless and at-risk children. Featured in the Moroccanoil INSPIRED film series, “American Spirit” of CBS Evening News, “Heroes Among Us” and “25 Women Changing the World” of PEOPLE magazine, “The Today Show,” Variety Magazine, and Oprah Daily, HALO serves over 3,000 children and supports 15 programs around the globe each year. It has Learning Centers and Housing programs in Kansas City, and Jefferson City, Missouri, and art programming in New York and Portland. HALO also supports orphanages and programs in Uganda, Kenya, Mexico and India. Learn how Love Heals at HALO and help one more child spend one less day alone at www.haloworldwide.org.
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Please Note: If interested in interviewing HALO Founder Rebecca Welsh and/or an #ArtDoesGood participant, please contact Nicole Gerken at [email protected].
