Art With a Heart is an Indianapolis based organization that strives to provide an art education to those who do not have one available to them. The group was founded in 2002 and serves approximately 2000 students per year 70% of them are below the poverty line, according to Art With a Heart a published records.

The art club works to provide this organization with art supplies that can then be distributed to at-risk students free of charge. What began as an in-school “Giving Tuesday” project between English 12 classes expanded to a school-wide contest between SMART periods.
The announcements stated that new or unused art supplies can be turned into SMART period teachers by Nov. 20, but there was no SMART period that day. If you still have donations contact English teacher Philip Albonetti at [email protected].

“You just have to do it, Albonetti said. “I’m inclined to think of giving as more of our duty. It helps take ourselves out of our own little worlds to see that there’s something beyond us, bigger than us.”

Albonetti guided the class in choosing projects that would impact the community the most, but ultimately the students organized the plan.

Art With a Heart strives to share art with students because they believe it immensely benefits a child’s development. According to the National Institute of Health, the process of creating art such as drawing a circle and using scissors prepares a child for learning to write. Crafting stimulates the creative parts of the brain which in turn continues mental development.

Other ways to give to Art With a Heart are to volunteer or give monetary donations both via their website.