As part of the Empowerment initiative, Growth Is A Journey is delighted to share the story -if you have not heard about it yet – of a wonderful 10-year-old who is making the world a better place with her love for art, and a heart to give and help children via homemade art kits.
How did Chelsea’s Charity start? For her 10th birthday in August 2019, Chelsea Phaire asked her guests to donate art supplies instead of gifts. Her desire to donate art kits to children in need went viral on social media and got enough attention for Chelsea and her family to be encouraged to officially start Chelsea’s Charity. Since then, Chelsea’s Charity has distributed thousands of art kits to children across the country and has had a first international distribution in Haiti. While the in-person distributions have been postponed because of COVID-19, the mail distribution continues – for homeless shelters, orphanages, hospitals, and schools. Each art kit comes with a few essential art materials such as colored pencils and paper, and a handwritten note from Chelsea with her heartfelt wishes and the motto “Art Is A Start”.
Chelsea’s conviction is that “Art Is A Start”, with the potential to support children’s mental health and social-emotional development, and to help them cope with everyday life. She lived the power of healing via art herself, at 8-years-old, when her swim coach passed away from gun violence: “The only thing I felt like I had left to make me happy was art”. Therefore, Chelsea has been looking to donate to children who have experienced traumatic events. She traveled to El Paso, Texas and Jersey City, New Jersey to deliver her art kits to children who were directly affected by mass shootings. She also distributed art kits at homeless shelters in Queens, NY and has been working with several low-income schools across the country.
Chelsea is a strong believer of kindness – “One act of kindness can cause a big effect on other people’s lives” and that art should be available for everyone as a conduit for healing and healthy mental development, especially for children in needs. Chelsea’s point of view is supported by research in early education, with psychologists and experts recommending art as a way for children to externalize their feelings but also as a way to support their visual, fine motor, mental and social development.
Chelsea’s goal is to distribute over 50,000 kits by 2021 in all U.S. states and internationally, and she is on her journey to become a professional in arts.
Thank you, Chelsea, for being an inspiration to children and adults alike, and demonstrating that no one is too young to show kindness and make a difference in this world!
For more information on Chelsea’s Charity work, please visit: https://www.chelseascharity.com/
For a one-time or recurrent donations, please visit: https://client.customdonations.com/securepay/chelseascharity/
If in needs of kits, please follow specific instructions on Chelsea’s Charity website – Menu Option: More/In Need of Kits.
(Article and Picture published with Chelsea’s Charity permission)
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