When we were accepted as finalists for the Do Something Award, we were overwhelmed with the feeling of “Our entire community deserves to be up here too”. Our Viewing Party came a few months later and we were excited to host our own awards! At the Foolishly Compassionate Awards at the Art Feeds Do Something Awards Viewing Party, we honored 5 individuals who have shown extraordinary compassion in our community.
(Stay tuned… there’s one more that will be announced at the bottom of this blog!)
Here they are!
Renee White
We like to say that Renee wants to see every human succeed- She’s a wonderful encouragement. Since the storm, she has worked on a group called LOGIC collecting data so we could share with potential donors the real needs in Joplin. She works tirelessly to make sure storm-affected families get what they need, when they need it, without having to jump through a million hoops that further exhaust them mentally & emotionally. Renee has been a great friend & helper to Art Feeds helping us meet the needs of the Art Feeds children.
Linda Teeter
Three weeks after last year’s tornado, Linda worked overtime to ensure that June’s regularly scheduled Third Thursday Art Walk took place. Joplin residents were tired, overwhelmed, and still distraught by the devastation from the tornado. By sheer determination and a lot of organization and improvisation, Linda gave Joplin residents an opportunity to come together and celebrate life, community, and beauty.
Bart Paden
Moments after the tornado, Bart’s wheels were turning. Since then, he’s sold thousands of Restore Joplin tshirts, then gifted proceeds directly back to Joplin citizens recovering. He’s impacted thousands in this community with this project, one of them being Art Feeds programs. Extraordinary.
Kate Massey
Kate totally rocks. After the devastation of May 22, she quit her job and joined the team at Rebuild Joplin. Her next year was devoted to making sure families in Joplin and Duquesne returned home to a safe environment as quickly as possible. We’ve heard so many wonderful stories of Kate’s dedication during this period of recovery & are thankful for her compassion.
Kim Vann
Kim Vann is a woman that wears many hats, but has one clear goal that she never loses sight of- HELPING KIDS. Through her positions with Joplin Schools and Bright Futures, Kim works countless hours to ensure that students in Joplin and the surrounding areas have all the resources to not only survive, but to thrive, succeed, and soar above all previous expectations. Kim worked tirelessly to ensure that all students, staff, and faculty needs were met in a timely manner in during the most chaotic and heartbreaking event in
area history. One of Kim’s co-workers at Bright Futures accepted the award on her behalf.
And we have one more Foolishly Compassionate Awards to hand out:
Jill Burton
Jill has been a fearless support of Art Feeds and the hooligans we serve using her blog ErnastineEdna.com as a platform to spread the word. We are so grateful for her love, hilarity, and overwhelming support. Jill, this shiny award is shipping your way!
–
Love Naively. Give Generously. Be Foolishly Conmpassionate.
Art Feeds
@artfeeds