Aloha everyone my name is Courtney and I've had the privilege to live on Maui for the last two years. It’s hard to put into words the beauty of this island and its people; a place where you can feel peace, love, nature and real magic. On August 8th, tragedy hit the island as fire swept through and devastatingly took with it a historic and sacred place on Maui, and most importantly lives. There are thousands of people who lost everything- loved ones, homes, pets, cars, their town, everything. These people are currently living in shelters and my heart breaks into pieces every time I think of them.

The last two weeks I’ve been thinking of ways that WE can help. Many of these shelters are filled with supplies that this incredible community has gathered and delivered every single day since the fire. Most of the shelters have asked people to hold off on sending supplies because there’s an overflow. So when thinking of other ways we can help, I thought of art. Art is expression, it’s therapy. Art has helped me heal; it’s helped me to understand this world and myself. What these people need, who lost everything, is peace. They need healing. There are hundreds of children in these shelters who may not know exactly what is happening, but I know they can feel it. I would love so much for us to help with this healing by buying art supplies to bring to the shelters- paints, brushes, canvases, crafts. They can paint how they feel, what they love, what they’re grateful for. They can paint Aloha, they can paint tears, or smiling faces, and families holding hands. Most of these children have no school to return to since it was lost to the fire, and I hope that this will be a space where they can create and just be kids.

My vision is for the community to come together, collaborate, and add pieces of their art to a mural that will preserve the memory of the hope that lives on in the face of this tragedy . This will be an evolving project so I’m not sure what the end result will be, but I will share what is created along the way.

*ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of donations will go directly to the community and families that lost their homes and need our help to rebuild. Covering the cost of art supplies is just one of the many ways we plan on using the donations. Other ways include: buying food, clothing, water, supplies to live, and donating money directly to those affected by the fires.

Art to Heal Your Heart – Maui