Volusia County poet laureate Dr. David B. Axelrod is being honored posthumously by the nonprofit he founded in 2009 to promote poetry and the arts in and around Volusia County, Florida, and across the Sunshine State. The Ormond Beach-based Creative Happiness Institute (CHI) is raising $200,000 for the new David B. Axelrod Memorial Endowment Fund. CHI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, funded by donations and grants. The organization’s motto is “Be creative, be well.” CHI aims to enhance people’s lives through programs and education in poetry and the arts. Donations and grants fund CHI.

Among other activities, CHI runs a Young Poets Mentoring Program, poetry slams, readings, and events at secondary schools, colleges, local arts venues, and for seniors and veterans. The organization also operates Writers Ink Press, a five-decade-old poetry-focused independent imprint founded by Dr. David B. Axelrod, and its catalog of more than 50 titles. The organization’s board of directors includes Anthony Ehrlich, president; Emily Axelrod, vice president; Marc Davidson, treasurer; Mary-Ann Westbrook, secretary; and at-large directors Dan Axelrod, Kevin Campbell, and Kate Muldoon.

For questions about CHI, please contact Ehrlich by emailing [email redacted] or Davidson by emailing [email redacted]