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54 South Division • Grand Rapids, MI 49503 • tel: (616) 235-7211 • fax: (616) 235-0093 • www.heartside.org
S!
E
T
A
D
E
SAVE TH
Heartside Gallery
and Studio
k
o
o
B
g
n
Colori se Party.
Relea
5-8pm
Saturday, April 9
During Art Downtown
(read more about the
coloring book on page 2)
Inside
Heartside
HEO
C
N
U
L
N
Tuesday, May 24, Noon
GVSU’s Eberhard Center
Join us for a complimentary
lunch to hear stories of
­healing and hope from
Heartside ­neighbors. Enjoy a
great o
­ pportunity to see the
­difference you are making at
Heartside Ministry!
There is no cost to attend.
Register for the lunch by
May 1 through our donations
page at www.heartside.org. or
contact Molly at 616-235-7211.
2016
Winter
|
R
E
SLET T
NEW
Laughter Lightens Hearts
Tequila Stewart and Laymond Anderson
When laughter is heard in the Community Room at Heartside Ministry, there’s a
good chance Tequila and Laymond are at the center of it.
Six years ago, Tequila Stewart and Laymond Anderson moved to Grand Rapids from
Benton Harbor with their four children. Heartside regular John McGill became a close
friend and introduced them to the Ministry.
Tequila started volunteering before Laymond, who is quieter and more reserved.“I like
how y’all look out for people,” she said. “I’m a people person and I love being here.”
Before long, the love of their c­ ommunity drew them both in each morning. H
­ aving
been together for 27 years, the two are a great team, even when neighbors get
­frustrated about things like the mail being late and h
­ aving to wait in line for the
­bathroom. “One of us has got to be the better man and take the high road,” ­
Laymond said. “He’s more lenient than me,” Tequila said, with her easy laugh, ­
“because I’d be snappin’ at them.”
“We try to give a little love and a­ ppreciation back, helping people when they need
help,” Laymond said. Some days that means calming a riled neighbor with humor,
­directing someone to our a­ dvocacy office for “help getting meds when you don’t
have a p
­ enny,” or finding creative ways to communicate with a person who
can’t speak.
During their own tough times, Heartside helped Tequila and Laymond
find ­permanent housing.
“Without Heartside Ministry, I don’t know what Division would be
like down here,” said Laymond. “Everyone is nice and respectful
and will help you out any way they can.”
When their friend John passed away this year,
the couple were grateful Heartside Ministry
was there to honor him with a memorial
service. “He had become like an uncle to us,”
Tequila said. “He was such a good person,
especially his laughter.”
Every day, Laymond and Tequila pass on
John’s legacy of welcoming people who are
new to Heartside, making them feel at home,
pointing them in the right direction, and
brightening their day with a good laugh.
We See the World a Bit Differently
Heartside Gallery and Studio Coloring Book Release Announced
On cold winter days, David would
come into the gallery to sleep.
­Gallery volunteers had to ask him to
move to the community room, and
­reminded him daily that in order to
use the space in the studio, which gets
­crowded during the winter days, he
needed to be making art.
A therapist on staff recommended
that the gallery staff provide him with
coloring pages. David began to color,
slowly and begrudgingly at first. After
a few days, he came in and asked for
coloring pages to take home. This
week, he asked for blank paper to
­create his own drawings. Coloring
pages allowed David to become an
important member of the heartside
artist ­community. He belongs and
feels valued. He has the ability to
create—and to feel the life-changing
effects of his own creativity!
The Heartside Gallery and
Studio Coloring Book
David and other artists of Heartside
want to share the therapeutic and
transformative power of creating art
with you, so they have produced a
­coloring book! Coloring has become
hugely popular lately thanks to its
meditative, centering, and ­uplifting
­effects. It’s a call to take a break
from our hectic lives to engage in
­something creative and calming. If
you haven’t picked up a crayon (or
marker) since you were in grade
school, you should give it a try with
this brand new publication!
• Limited-release 50-page
book of imaginative original
black and white drawings by
­Heartside artists.
• The release will be celebrated
during Art.Downtown, the
neighborhood-wide arts event
on April 9.
• Pre-order information is on our
website at www.heartside.org/
coloringbook/
Join us Saturday, April 9th, 5–8 pm
at Heartside Gallery and Studio to celebrate the
“We See the World a Bit Differently” coloring book release.
WINTER
WISH LIST
Art
Heartside
Neighborhood
Christmas Party
On December 23 our staff, volunteers, and ­neighbors
­gathered together for a celebration of Christmas.
­Members of our house band, The Heartside Players, led
the gathering in a carol sing-along, filling the c­ ommunity
room and chapel with song. It was powerful to come
­together and celebrate the season as a community,
­sharing a ­traditional family-style turkey dinner. Our
­neighbors ­appreciate these special opportunities to
­gather and c­ elebrate joys and lighten sorrows. It is one
of the ways your support creates a safe haven from the
chaos of life on the streets—thank you!
2 | Heartside Ministry
Paint brushes, paper, scissors, yarn,
­crochet hooks, rulers, canvas
Hospitality:
Feminine hygiene products, adult
­diapers, socks, t-shirts
Education:
Small study lamps, throw pillows,
paper, pens, highlighters, books
We are thankful for all in-kind donations! However, in
­order for us to process and coordinate your donation
appropriately, we request that you please contact us in
advance to coordinate the best time to drop off your
gifts: [email protected] or 616-235-7211, ext. 108.
Heartside
Neighborhood
Participates in Annual
Homeless Count
On Jan 27, several Grand Rapids
agencies participated in the Point
in Time (PIT) homeless count.
Area advocacy workers spent 24
hours documenting the names,
­contact information, and o
­ ther
data about ­people sleeping
­outside and in shelters. The count
is ­intended to reflect all people
­without ­permanent housing in
Grand R
­ apids. It is used to e
­ valuate
housing needs in the community
and for federal f­ unding purposes.
Alison Schuyler, Heartside
­Ministry’s Advocacy ­Coordinator,
has participated in previous PIT
counts. While she agrees that the
count is a good tool for e
­ valuation
and program b
­ udgeting, she
points out that there is really no
good way to make the count one
hundred percent accurate.“The
count isn’t taking into account
those who are staying in motels, in
their cars, sleeping on the couches
of friends or family, or sleeping in
well-hidden places like a­ bandoned
buildings. It also doesn’t take into
account rural areas or far reaches
of the city.” These situations are
just a sample of the hidden homeless Alison serves on a daily basis.
Our homeless neighbors are in
need, and your donations provide
people without housing with the
support to find a safe and warm
home through the housing and
advocacy programming offered
through Heartside Ministry and
our partners. Multiple studies
­document that making ­housing
a priority in our community is
the best path to supporting
our n
­ eighbors. By ­supporting
­Heartside Ministry, you are
­engaging in far-reaching efforts to
stabilize our community.
“These aren’t
just people,
they are our
neighbors”
Volunteer Kyle Cascarelli and artist Walter in the studio
“It’s humbling to hear so many stories about how people become homeless.
When I sat next to someone who had gone through it, it really impacted me”
says Kyle Cascarelli, a volunteer in the Heartside gallery for two years. He began
working with Heartside as part of Aquinas College’s student leadership program.
Soon after his joining, artists began to open up to him and tell them their stories
and he began to feel a pull to the community.
Kyle continued to volunteer at Heartside when his program finished, and when
there was an internship opening in the Bridging the Gap educational program,
he began working with Heartside students as well.
Heartside, we meet people where
“At
they are and do not cast judgement.
”
We work alongside the people in need.
Kyle Cascarelli
A student of Community Leadership and Theology at Aquinas College, Kyle feels
his experience at Heartside has broadened his understanding of the power
of love and understanding. “It’s easy to just sit back and say ‘I’ll pray for you’
and ­forget about the sadness and desolation that our neighbors live daily. At
Heartside, we meet people where they are and do not cast judgment. We work
alongside the people in need.”
We are so thankful for the dedicated volunteers at the Gallery and Ministry.
heir work makes Heartside a thriving community! To learn more about
how to become part of the volunteer family, contact Helen VanEssendelft
at [email protected] or call (616) 235-7211, ext 108.
Heartside Ministry | 3
Peace begins with a smile:
Dianna Shares her Love of Art With the Community
“So Great To Have”
Dianna has struggled with ­extreme
anxiety and depression her ­entire
life. Ten years ago, when she walked
into H
­ eartside Ministry, she began
­exploring the art program. She
­experienced an immediate change
in her mental state, ­finally had a
reason to leave her a­ partment,
and quickly embraced the sense
of community and ­creativity she
found at Heartside.
A Poem by Mike Tate
When something unexpected arrives
You might not make the day.
And then kind people save the day
with some tips and hellos.
A scene I’m fulfilled to see
And all to him so great
With the father, you and me
Or ask another to see you rise
up someday
You make the way for artists to create,
We see the good work in the donors
That’s why we give you love
and honor
on this cold and wintery day.
Heartside Artists Visit
Detroit Institute of Arts
“I like coming to make art.
The gallery is a safe and
peaceful place. There is no
place like it in the whole city.”
-Dianna
Now, Dianna v­ olunteers in the
studio every week, sharing her gift
of creativity with other artists.
This month, she was selected as the muralist for our art studio wall. She planned
her piece for weeks, settling on a beautiful mandala paired with a Mother
­Theresa quote: “Peace begins with a smile.” This quote will greet e
­ veryone who
walks through our gallery doors this month. Prints of this work are a­ vailable at
the gallery or on our website for $20.
Your generosity bears fruit in Dianna’s search for peace, and allows her to
­continually share that harmony with her Heartside neighbors.
Recently, Heartside artists had the chance to take a break from their work to
travel to Detroit to immerse themselves in the “30 Americans” exhibition at
the Detroit Institute of Arts. Thirty African American artists explored identity,
­struggle, and perception in this traveling exhibit. Heartside artists were moved
by what they saw, and are delighted to bring what they learned back home to
incorporate into their own expression.
“I grew a new
appreciation
for African
.”
American art
t Robinson
Scot
Heartside Artist
ry artists
Heartside Galle
4 | Heartside Ministry
itute of Arts.
visit Detroit Inst
Dianna stands with her mural in Heartside Gallery
“My experience wa
s full.
(It) allowed me to m
my understanding aximize
identifying true blaof
ckness.”
Gil Horne
Heartside Artist
At Heartside Ministry, we believe that art is a powerful tool in communicating
identity and expressing experience creatively. Through your donations, artists
are able to access art in a safe and supportive environment, and some earn
funds toward their daily expenses.