Since day one of its inception 5 years ago, HeARTs Speak has been devoted to building a community of professional artists focused on supreme collaboration, compassion, and courage. By nurturing a rapidly expanding network of like-minded individuals, we’ve pushed artistic expression to the forefront of what’s considered beneficial in the fight to save shelter animals.
HeARTs Speak members already go so far above and beyond expectations, providing their professional services pro-bono to animal welfare organizations in 46 states and 19 countries, so it begged the question: what great heights could they reach if they received a little boost in the form of a grant from HeARTs Speak?
Turns out, they can touch the sky!
Thanks to the generous support of people and organizations that share our passion for animals, HeARTs Speak is able to provide member artists with the resources and tools they need to prioritize their work in the animal welfare community.
A total of 12 members received grants throughout 2015. From expanding their reach in their community to investing in their skill-set, or even embarking on an entirely new creative project for animals, each one found a truly inspiring way to further their individual efforts — and we’ve highlighted a few below!
Stay tuned as we update this list to include more of our recipients inspiring efforts on behalf of companion animals in their communities!
CHRISTINE HEAD
ANGELA BOONE
Angela hopes to begin a “Pitbulls and Princesses” project aimed at dispelling the myths about pit bulls and raise pit bull awareness in our area and help local rescues that focus on pitbulls.
STACY WHITE
BROOKE BYELICH
JENNIFER OLIVER
The HeARTs Speak artist grant enabled Jennifer to fortify her photography equipment setup with the addition of professional lighting, backdrops, and a backdrop stand. While these upgrades mean Jennifer can now focus on expanding her photography services to more of her local shelters, they’ve also already enabled her to host a fundraising photo shoot for her local food bank alongside West Coast Cocker Rescue.
AIMEE DAVIS
Aimee has been hoping to work with a Philadelphia organization named Hand2Paw for a while now, and the HeARTs Speak artist grant allowed her to do so. Hand2Paw empowers young adults ages 18-21 to volunteer in the city’s animal shelters and, in turn, encourages an overall respect and kindness towards animals. Using her artist grant, Aimee was able to capture the magic of Hand2Paw kids volunteering in a local animal shelter and ultimately shed a little light on this inspiring and important organization.
PAOLA PALADINI
Paola used her HeARTs Speak artist grant to kick her studio photography setup up a notch! By purchasing a portable, more contained system, Paola has made traveling to her local rescue groups a more efficient process and decreased the turnaround time necessary for providing professional shelter pet portraits. She’s still adding to her system but has so far used her portable setup at Florida Humane Society, a local vet that houses rescue dachshunds, and a foster home.
ESME RENNIE
Using her HeARTs Speak artist grant, Esme plans to raise awareness of the plight of the Galgos of Spain. Through educational workshops and the creation of a finished photographic product, Esme hopes to inform more of her community about this cause that is close to her heart.
MARY BETTINELLI
AUDREA DONNELLY
The HeARTs Speak artist grant has enabled Audrea to purchase additional studio equipment that’s made volunteering her professional services to shelters much easier. Audrea is also investing in her own creative growth by completing a photography continuing education course!
KASI ORR
FELIPE GUERRA
Felipe, a HeARTs Speak member located in Brazil, has been able to bring his professional services to more local Sao Paulo rescues thanks to his artist grant. Many groups in the area are in great need of creative marketing help, and by expanding his reach and purchasing additional photography equipment, Felipe is giving more homeless pets in his city a moment in the spotlight.
Want to empower more artists to improve the lives of companion animals? Visit our giving page to help us help our members continue their lifesaving work across the globe!
