Start the Countdown!

T-12 Days til I'm in HAITI


I have collected ALL that I need to send to HOPE to cover my flight from Miami to Port Au Prince & the costs of food, transportation, water, & diesel fuel for the generator while I'm in the country. I'm mailing the checks off today! I'm still trying to raise money to cover my flight to Miami and additional food and expenses I'm bringing with me, but I have been surrounded by so many generous people that I don't see it being a problem to get there. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible!


Update from Haiti Team#2
The second team returned from Haiti this weekend and I spent a good 20 minutes talking to the Art Teacher who went on the trip. She had so many great things to say about the kids and the art she did with them - along with ideas for my trip. I am so excited to start planning my art groups again and can't wait to see the kids again!


God is so good... he has truly blessed me with an experience of a lifetime and the opportunity to do it 2x!


Much Love,
Mandy

FSView Article!

FSU student helps Haiti through art

Courtney Rolle • Staff Writer • July 5, 2010

Florida State University graduate student Amanda Sanders used art therapy to help children in a Haiti orphanage when she visited the devastated country in June.

Sanders was offered the opportunity through the charity HOPE Worldwide, along with 13 other participants from across the country.

HOPE Worldwide is a service organization that takes action in addressing crises around the world, such as bringing treatment to Africa for HIV/AIDS, placing schools and clinics around Afghanistan and helping to build Cambodia’s health care system, which has helped over one million patients get premium health care.

Sanders received an undergraduate degree in psychology at FSU with a minor in studio art. She began taking art classes as an outlet for stress during her undergraduate years, then realized at the beginning of graduate school that it was something she didn’t want to be without.

“I began my master’s degree in mental health counseling [College of Education] in fall 2008, but at the end of my first semester, I realized how much I missed doing art,” Sanders said. “I spoke to the art therapy program director about taking some of their classes and, after taking one class, I was hooked. We worked on creating a dual degree with my mental health counseling and art therapy.”

The idea of going to Haiti, which was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in January, was proposed to her by her professor, who suggested she visit and create a presentation on the experience for her semester’s final project. In order to fund her trip, Sanders began by collecting donations from her friends and family. In less than two weeks, she had everything that was needed for the trip. Once she arrived in Ganthiers, Haiti, Sanders put her Art Therapy degree to work.

“The first few days I used fun art activities that would engage the kids and get them excited about the art,” Sanders said. “I mixed paint with bubble solution and had them color paper by blowing bubbles on it, did ink blot paintings and free drawings.”

Sanders educated the older children on the color wheel and taught them how to mix colors to make other ones. She also shared her stress-relieving artistic practices.

“We talked about the earthquake and how it affected them,” Sanders said. “I let them paint their experiences and express feelings through the art. It was so amazing to witness the power the art gave these kids to really explore and express things they had been feeling, didn’t understand, or didn’t know how to express.”

Though the trip impacted Sanders in a positive way, parting from the children she grew so close to consequently proved to be heartbreaking not only for Sanders, but for the children as well.

“I had one little boy, eight years old, that seemed like my adoptive son for the week, and his smile could light up a room,” Sanders said. “The day I left, he cried and it was hard to leave him.”

Sanders said she feels pleased to have be able to give some attention to Haiti.

“It’s only been six months since the earthquake and they still have a very long road to recovery,” Sanders said. “There are still thousands of people living in tent cities without any place to go.”

Sanders said her trip made such an impact on her that she will be returning later on in the summer to continue her work with the children. She encourages volunteering or donations to HOPE Worldwide through their website at www.hopeww.org.