Art Supplies Fundraiser for Troy the Painter

I want you to close your eyes and imagine this for a minute... You are in a dimly lit lounge with classical piano & jazz music playing softly in the background. In the corner sits an artist immaculately dressed in a tux who is sipping a glass of pinot noir and painting the most incredible picture you have ever seen. Now, I want you to open your eyes... You are no longer in a lounge, rather you find yourself on the corner of a busy intersection. The sound of soothing jazz is replaced by the chaos of cars and horns whizzing by you in every direction. Instead of an artist dressed to the nines, you see a homeless man in tattered clothing who is sitting on a plastic bucket painting.

This is the bizarre scene that took my wife and I by surprise in November 2022. As we were driving home, we spotted a man on the corner of a busy intersection painting this incredible picture of a tree. In awe of his talent, we rolled down our window, signaled the man over to our car, and gave him a small tip.

--"You have an incredible gift sir", we said.

As we drove on for the next few minutes, Erika & I both sat in silence, pondering what we had just seen.

--"That was so strange", we said. "I wonder what that man's story is. How on earth does someone that talented end up on the street like that?"

We decided to find out for ourselves. We made a u-turn, parked the car on the side of the highway, and walked across the intersection to speak with him.

--"Hello sir, my name is Tim Pawul and this is my wife Erika. We just drove by and were so impressed by your painting that we had to meet you. What is your name?"

--"My name is Troy", the man responded.

We went on speaking for ~15 minutes in order to get to know him and then we ended up buying his painting of the tree.

--"What do you call this painting Troy, it is beautiful!" said Erika.

--Troy responded, "The Tree of Light"

There was something divine about that moment and something divine about that painting. There was a more profound reason we were talking to Troy and we could feel it.

--"We want to help you Troy. We are not sure how but we want to help you", I said.

I proceeded to get Troy's cell phone number and then we headed back to our car.

A few days later, I reached out to Troy and took him to lunch so I could get to know him better. After several hours of talking, I felt nothing but love, kindness, and honesty coming from him. As we carried on talking, Troy told me a bit more about his past and how he ended up homeless.

--"I have been painting since the 3rd grade. I knew I was always good at it but never thought of it as something I could do for a living. In the earlier part of my life, I drove 18-wheeler trucks but when I was 25 years old, I made a mistake that changed my life forever. I began to sell drugs on the side in order to make extra money. I got caught by the police and was sentenced to 15 years in prison on a Felony Drug charge. I ended up serving 12.5 years of my sentence before being released on good behavior. I learned my lesson the hard way and lost a big chunk of my life. I am 52 years old now and wish I could go back to my younger self to tell him what I know now."

When Troy got out of prison, a man from the Church gave him a job and a place to live. Being grateful for this opportunity, Troy spent all of his time working in order to make ends meet and rebuild his life. Unfortunately, he lost himself in the daily grind and ended up neglecting painting for nearly a decade. When COVID hit, Troy lost his job and his place to live. He managed to live out of a Motel 6 for a year but when he ran out of money, he became homeless and was forced to live on the streets. To make ends meet, Troy began painting again, in which he collected tips and sold paintings on the side of the road. As he became homeless, he made the conscious decision to keep painting instead of finding another minimum-wage job.

--"Tim, I spent a 1/3 of my adult life in prison and then another decade in an emotional prison working a job I hated. It is ironic but even though I am homeless, I feel free for the first time in my life. I spend every day painting and spreading my gift. That is why God put me on this Earth and I intend to keep painting until the day I die", Troy said to me.

Speaking with Troy gave me an appreciation for how hard it is for convicted Felons to assimilate back into society. Troy explained how most jobs and apartment applications automatically reject individuals with criminal records. Many things in the system are set-up to discourage Felons from even trying, which causes a lot of fear and reluctance. If Felons do not have friends or family to help them out financially, provide them a job, and/or give them a place to live, then their options are truly limited. I am certainly not condoning breaking the law but if someone serves their sentence and pays for their mistakes, don't you think they should be given a fair second chance?

My family and I felt a lot of compassion for Troy and knew he deserved better. As a result, we have decided to help in the following ways:

(1) Get him off the streets and into an apartment

(2) Teach him the principles of business and help him use his painting to support himself financially

Finding him an apartment is easier said than done. Despite our family's willingness to co-sign the apartment lease & fund the rent, it was still really difficult to find an apartment complex who would accept someone with a criminal record. After driving around to nearly a dozen apartments, Troy and I found an apartment that was willing to give him a chance! I am proud to say that as of December 9th 2022, Troy has officially moved into his own apartment! I can't tell you how good it feels to know he has a roof over his head, a bed to sleep in, and a hot shower to wake up to every morning.

The next step is to help him create a painting business. As the old adage says, "Teach a man to fish, don't buy him a fish dinner". As a result, we are currently working with him to set-up a website, a business entity, and a business bank account. He will be focusing on giving art classes and selling paintings, which will include customized painting projects for clients. As Troy gets back on his feet, my family wanted to set-up this GoFundMe account to help him cover the cost of art supplies costs over this first year (paint, brushes, canvases, etc). If Troy's story has touched your heart, then I hope you decide to support him and join us in this journey.

"Thank you for seeing my true spirit & soul. I have been praying for help for a long-time and I am thankful it is finally here" -- Troy the Painter

God Bless!

Tim & Erika Pawul