By Elizabeth Brannon
When local resident Rhianna Patel was in 6th grade, she observed that art was a healthy activity for her personally. In 8th grade, Rhianna did a research project about the benefits of art on health and concluded that art is beneficial to both physical and mental health. Her lifelong dream is to be a pediatrician.
By age 13, Rhianna created an organization to combine her passions of science and art. Art for Heart is focused on children in hospitals or in women’s shelters during the holiday season. The organization donates art supplies in kits to children with challenges to their health and wellbeing. The kits are geared to children from ages 4 to 12, and is often a reward to a child after a procedure or surgery. Initially, donations came from close friends and family. Rhianna has seen donations double each year, and the generosity of others allows her to continue her goal of expanding this to more locations and more kids. Rhianna gets the information out through flyers distributed to teachers, students, friends, family and anyone interested in supporting Art for Heart.
Rhianna has been successful in getting new art supplies donated from a variety of sources, and the National Art Honor Society of Flower Mound High School has volunteered to be part of the philanthropic endeavor by assembling the donated art supplies to create the kits. The kits consist of canvas bags, pencils, art crafts, markers, coloring pages and ornaments to be made. Over the years the organization has existed, Art for Heart has received several thousand dollars in donations, and has delivered over 700 kits to more than 15 locations in the DFW area, including cardiac units in children’s hospitals, the Union Gospel Mission and the Genesis Women’s Shelter. The organization will be expanding throughout Denton County and to cities like Prosper and Plano. An ultimate goal is to have enough support to donate art kits throughout the year and not just on holidays.
Art for Heart will be established as a non-profit this summer. Rhianna has set up a registry through Amazon for items she needs to have donated to the project for this year. Scan this QR code to help. Orders placed through the Amazon registry, under the name Art for Heart, will be delivered directly to Rhianna for the 2024 holiday season art packs.
For those who want to support this endeavor through cash donations, the following methods are available:
- Zelle: 972-672-5797
- Venmo: @Milan-Patel120
- Cash App: $Milan409
- PayPal: 972-672-5797
More information on Instagram: @art.for.heart.1
Art is a way to combat anxiety, stress, fear, mental challenges and dealing with powerful emotions. Art is a good outlet for those feelings and can provide a healthy distraction for anyone participating in art. Art for Heart kits help kids address the behind the scenes hospital or shelter realities, with the overall goal of bringing joy to children.
This year Rhianna will be a senior at Flower Mound High School, and is hopeful that Art for Heart can build on her successful start by making the 2024-2025 holiday season one where hundreds of kids can be recipients of kits to create art to help them heal.
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