Merging Creativity & Charity

Where Creativity Connects
Friendships and connections form in all sorts of situations. And, for Karen Rossi, some of the best creative connections have been made recently, in the workshops she has been teaching. During her first class at Creative Arts Workshop, Karen met Ruth Sack, a fellow CAW teacher and accomplished artist. Karen soon learned that Ruth's area of expertise was encaustic, an ancient Egyptian technique that uses resin and beeswax to create artwork. A few years ago, Ruth had taken a class in encaustic and fell in love with the color and sculptural aspects of the medium. After meeting at CAW, Ruth was able to share her encaustic wisdom with Karen, and the two have even created pieces together.

For a Good Cause
It seems that connections such as the one between Ruth and Karen can lead to many creative discoveries. Beyond sharing their artistic expertise, the two women recently teamed up to find a way to merge creativity and charity. In Karen's world, the two have always gone hand in hand. Over the years, Karen has found many unique ways to support the charities closest to her heart. And, most recently, she has been using her Fanciful Flights workshops as a means to this end.

Making a Plan
When Ruth heard about Karen's "flight" parties, she immediately wanted to hold one of her own. As is so often the case when two artists get together, the ideas and creativity grew quickly as Ruth and Karen began to plan the event. In no time at all, a workshop was planned. Ruth and Karen agreed that a portion of the proceeds would go to Hadassah, the largest women's organization in America.

Success!
With the event now behind them, Ruth was able to evaluate the party. "Everyone had a wonderful time," she said, "We can't wait to have another one." The money that was raised from the party will support some of Hadassah's charities including a hospital in Israel that has done a great deal to further the research and treatment of breast cancer, as well as community health outreach within the United States. In a continued effort to raise additional funds for Hadassah, Karen has agreed to donate 5% of her April e-store sales to the organization as well.