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Painters Share Talents with Hurricane Victims
Written by
Lesly C. Hallman
, Staff Writer, RedCross.org
Tuesday, November 09, 2004 — When a multitude of hurricanes hit Florida, Americans across the country wondered how they could help, and a group of crafty artists from around the country are seeing one simple idea make a huge impact for Floridians hit hard by Hurricane Charley.
Cathy Becker, a One Stroke painting instructor for Dewberry Designs in Pennsylvania, thought of asking her 4,000 fellow One Stroke instructors to paint a mailbox and donate it to a family who lost their own in a hurricane. She contacted the American Red Cross through the Greater Erie County Chapter in Pennsylvania to see if the organization could support such an idea.
Erie. Co. Chapter Communicator Tim Bodamer loved the idea, and it was a perfect fit with other plans already in place in Florida—federal officials were working to bring in 500 mobile units to house those still unable to return home. All they needed was a place to keep the gifts.
Mary Adiutori and Cathy Becker show off their One Stroke skills at an event to announce the mailbox program last week. |
“We were looking for a collection spot [for the mailboxes], so I got in touch with the chapter in Port Charlotte and they had the room to take them,” said Bodamer.
“I was really blown away by how quickly and efficiently this worked,” said Becker. “It was an easy marriage. I made the suggestion and they took it from there.”
Bodamer worked with Dee Ann Ingalls, Community Development Director for the Charlotte County Chapter of the Red Cross, and she became the willing conduit between One Stroke painters across the country and hurricane victims in need of a new mailbox.
“It’s a fantastic idea because people down here really do need everything,” said Ingalls. “Anything that puts residents back on the road to recovery is great.”
Charlotte County and the city of Port Charlotte took the full force of Hurricane Charley as it came ashore in August with winds up to 180 mph. Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, and many residents continue to deal with the clean up and restoration of their homes and lives each day.
Mailboxes Make a Difference
Ingalls, one of two full time employees at the Charlotte County Chapter, is now working with local postal workers to identify families who need a mailbox. The postal service will deliver mail as long as something has the address for the residence, so people have been using everything from cardboard boxes to laundry baskets to gather mail.
In just one day, Ingalls received word of at least 300 homes in need of a mailbox. So far she has received about 10 of the painted boxes, and expects more to arrive each day.
Becker said the mailbox was a great idea for One Stroke painters to take on because it’s a common project for devotees of the art. One Stroke painters use two colors on one brush and learn to paint and shade in one stroke, creating beautiful flowers and more. A special section was added to the One Stroke website announcing the donation project with instructions on how to participate.
“Painted mailboxes are a staple,” she said. “Most One Stroke painters have worked on them at least once, and many of us sell painted mailboxes at craft shows or on the Internet.”
Once a painter has completed their mailbox, they can download a special postcard to put inside for the family who receives it, and then ship it to Florida.
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