I met Kerrin Churchill two years ago at an art workshop at Agincourt Library. Since then, a friendship and collaboration has formed between us. Kerrin had an idea to create a project in which seniors in the Scarborough community can come together to explore cultural spaces and to express their creativity through visits in artistic activities led by a professional artist.

Kerrin and her friend Susan MacDonald  (both volunteers on this project), along with Navia Harry of the Active Living Centre at Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities, worked tirelessly to bring this vision to life. 

A successful grant application was made to the New Horizons program and the first event of Creative Space was held on September 16. It was a beautiful sunny day, at the dreamy Guild Park and Gardens, a park known for its beautiful historical sculptures scattered all around the park. 

 John Mason of Friends of the Guild provided a tour for a group of 12 seniors so they can learn more about the history and stories about the park and pieces within.

Artist Tara Dorey facilitated a drawing workshop for participants. Everyone gathered around the outdoor amphitheatre in the park where Tara talked about drawing, lines, and contour drawing. Everyone got tote bags prior the workshop with all the needed supplies for the session.

Each person then proceeded to explore the park and choose a sculpture to practice their contour drawing. After an hour and half and a few attempts, participants gathered once more at the amphitheatre to share their sketches and their experience of it with the group and received feedback from the artist. 

Everyone was inspired and energized by the event and were keen to participate in future events by Creative Space. A few people in the park inquired if they could register as well. Despite the current challenges that we are facing, with following the health guidelines, organizers are determined to continue to bring joy, creativity and connectivity to the life of seniors in Scarborough through these unique visits and artist led workshops.

The next meeting for this group will be held on October 14th, 2020 at Scarborough Arts. There is currently a waiting list, but please contact srayati@schcontario.ca if you are interested.

Written by Tagan Mani, Marketing and Communications Assistant

The month of September marks Alzheimer's Awareness Month and that’s why, if you have been following us on social media, you would have noticed we have been posting about Alzheimer's awareness to help reach more people about the cause and why brain health is so important.
 
Truth is, Alzheimer's can or does impact us all. Alzheimer's Society Canada stated that 1.1 million Canadians are affected directly or indirectly by the disease. If that stat is not alarming enough, Alzheimer's Association reports that there will be a projected amount of 13.8 million people age 65 and older to have Alzheimer's dementia by 2050. To learn more about Alzheimer's signs, stages and tips for caregivers, read our previous blog post here.
 
Dementia does not discriminate based on the colour of your skin, your profession, or any other factor beyond your control. That is why, when loved ones with dementia are receiving care, it is imperative that the activities you do are truly meaningful to them, since the more personalized it is, the more beneficial it will be.
 
If you are uncertain on what meaningful activities/engagement are, the Alzheimer's Society of Canada defines it as a person-centred approach which encourages and invites people with
dementia to purposefully participate in the work of an organization to which they belong. When participating, the activities should involve them contributing ideas, skills, and abilities while being mindful that their participation would vary, depending on what their current abilities are along with the personal history they have. This is important because Alzheimer's has a critical impact on one's behaviour, memory, and senses. Which is why, at times, activities that people living with dementia used to enjoy they can now find overwhelming. It is also important to ensure that the staff who provides care are also knowledgeable, attentive, and encouraging.

Alzheimers.net notes that meaningful and stimulating activities can encourage self-expression, lessen anxiety and irritability, assist with emotional connections and memories while making your loved one feel more engaged. Stimulating activities can include baking, arts and crafts, puzzles, playing music and gardening. In later stages, simple and familiar activities like folding laundry, caring for a baby doll by dressing and changing diapers, or even washing dishes can give individuals with dementia a sense of purpose and belonging.
 
At SCHC, we offer different programs that provide help to those impacted with dementia or may be experiencing some early signs. Our two programs that focuses on this are the Adult Day Centre and the Active Minds Social Club (in partnership with Alzheimer Society of Toronto), respectively. In our Adult Day Centre, we serve individuals, over the age of 65 who have been diagnosed with dementia, with full days of meaningful activities such as music and art therapy and chair yoga, plus events to celebrate birthdays and holidays. Our Active Minds Social Club also provides stimulating activities but caters to those who have been diagnosed before the age of 65, living with young onset dementia. Both programs also give respite for their caregivers.  See our website for more details on these programs.
 
The statistics and impact Alzheimer's has can be scary, but that is why it is crucial that we and our loved ones should become more educated about Alzheimer's and what preventative actions we can take. See our recent Instagram post below for highlights from a recent study that states 12 things that one can do to lower the risk of dementia. To learn more about Alzheimer's prevention read a prior blog post written by Joanne, our Community Caregiver Wellness Coordinator, and a former educator for Alzheimer's Society of Toronto.

 
We hope that reading this post helped you become more informed about Alzheimer's, what you can do to help prevent it, and what SCHC does for our community who have been impacted by it. Despite not having a cure yet for Alzheimer's, there are many options we can take to help the united fight against Alzheimer's.
 
To learn more about our programs related to Alzheimer's please feel free to contact us via Email: cssintake@schcontario.ca or Phone: (416)-847-4134
 
Sources
 
https://beta-ctvnews-ca.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/beta.ctvnews.ca/national/health/2020/8/1/1_5048612.html
 
https://www.alzheimers.net/2014-03-06-stimulating-activities-for-alzheimers-patients
 
https://alzheimer.ca/sites/default/files/files/national/meaningful-engagement/meaningful-engagement-of-people-with-dementia.pdf
 
https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures#:~:text=More%20than%205%20million%20Americans%20of%20all%20ages%20have%20Alzheimer's,10%25)%20has%20Alzheimer's%20dementia. 
 
https://alzheimer.ca/en/Home/About-dementia/What-is-dementia/Dementia-numbers?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIutWKgcvr6wIVu_DjBx2bbAIrEAAYASAAEgJH_vD_BwE
 
https://alzheimer.ca/en/Home/About-dementia/Alzheimers-disease?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4MyWgNLr6wIVBJJbCh2I8gZgEAAYAiAAEgIjc_D_BwE

Today, September 10th, marks World Suicide Prevention day. Above is only a few of the statistics pulled from a very resourceful infographic created by Public Health Agency of Canada which you can view here.

Suicide Prevention is crucial to discuss and effects so many people. We need to become more informed, educated, and empathetic. If you or anyone you know may be experiencing suicial thoughts, we do have staff catering to mental health. If you want to learn more about Suicide Prevention feel free to read our blog post from last year about it here. 

​Maureen Pollard, a social worker, collaborated with Murray Foster and Ellen Torrie to create a song entitled "I Hope You Stay"  in the hopes it will be shared widely to raise awareness about suicide prevention and for the Canadian Association of Suicide Prevention. You can listen to the song below. 

If you are interested in learning more about our mental health services please feel free to contact us at info@schcontario.ca or call us at 416-642-9445 for more information. 

SCHC and their Mind and Spirit Youth Leadership (MSYL) Program was looking for help to create a social enterprise venture to sustain their program once funding from their Ontario Trillium Grow grant was finished.

Debra McGonegal, Director of Communications and Development reached out to a philanthropic partner, The Northpine Foundation for advice. They suggested broadening the scope of this project, offered to fund a summer business camp for youth and connected SCHC to Enactus Canada who referred us to Ryerson Enactus and the project manager, Alessandro Farelli. Through this innovative initiative and great partnership, 24 youth were enrolled in the Youth Entrepreneurship Opportunity Summer Camp Program and matched with 14 mentors. The following is Debra’s interview with Alessandro as the camp was wrapping up for 2020.

How did you become involved in the Youth Entrepreneurship Opportunity (YEO) Summer
camp program?
I got involved early in March when the program was just a concept and hadn’t been created
yet. YEO is under the branch of project StartMeUp (SMU) and Enactus Ryerson and I had just
taken over as Project Manager (PM). Originally the program was focused on just the creation of businesses for youth through mentorship, but I wanted to include personal and professional
development. Eventually, I hired a Co-PM, Zohra, and on top of being the project manager for
YEO, I also became one of the mentors for our MYSLens team. I would also plan and facilitate
our weekly workshops for the first four weeks of our program.

How did SCHC and MSYL fit into this new project?
SCHC and MSYL were integral to the camp and it couldn’t have run without them. Debra from
SCHC secured funding for both mentees and mentors, and would regularly check in with me
and my team to provide support and advice. Gnanu, Renee, and Charanjit, plus summer staff
from MSYL handled enrollment of youth from their program and the local Scarborough
community . They joined weekly workshops and checked in with the youth to provide support
and get program feedback. I would also like to commend Gnanu specifically for checking in with me bi-weekly to see if there was any support he could provide to our program along with
setting up all of our Zoom meetings. Both the SCHC and MSYL were an absolute delight to work with and I look forward to strengthening our relationship with them.

How did the camp work? What were the goals for Enactus?
For the first month of our camp, the structure was quite similar across all groups. We had
weekly workshops (Entrepreneurship, Customers, Marketing, Finance) held on Mondays and bi-weekly workshops held on Thursday by Shopify on business website creation. Each mentor was paid for 10 hours of work per week, while mentees were expected to contribute 20 hours per week. The goal for Enactus Ryerson mentors was to help students with personal and
professional growth, and the creation and launch of their own business. Around 80% of the
groups were able to create their own business in some shape or form.

What did you learn about mentoring youth?
Everyone has some form of value to provide to our world even if they don’t see it. At the start
of our program, many of the youth in my group were quite shy and wouldn’t like to speak
during our discussions. However, as we catered more towards their interests, we saw them
become more outgoing. A big turning point was asking the youth to present on a topic they
were most passionate about. We put a minimum of 5 minutes for the presentations, but most
students went over 10 minutes and were quite enthusiastic while presenting. After these
presentations, the youth in our group were much more outgoing and willing to put their input
into both our discussions and the business they are running.
​
What did you learn about yourself?  And did this camp affect any of your ideas on your future path/s?
What I learned about myself is that I love to see other people grow to become better versions of themselves. Before I started YEO, I already knew that I liked helping others, but this program showed me that my calling is the development of others. I am very excited to continue this program and help both the youth we are working with now as well as working with new youth to help them grow. This camp has impacted my future career path, I know that I will continually be looking for ways to enrich the lives of those around me. When I become financially stable I would like to dedicate the rest of my life (and career) to help develop those around me whether they are a youth or those who are older than me.

What were the end results of the camp?
The result of the camp was quite positive with 7 businesses started and all of the youth growing personally as well. Each mentor plans to keep a relationship with their mentee and meet for one hour per week to check in on both their mentee's wellbeing as well as the progress they are making with their business. See below for a brief recap of business plan competition to wrap up the YEO summer camp.

Where would you like the YEO camp to go in the future?
I have big plans for YEO in the future. Over the next 2 weeks, I plan to work with my team along with SCHC and MSYL to create a comprehensive action plan to both improve and expand the program for the next 15 months. Ideally, by the Spring of 2021, I would like to bring YEO to other Enactus chapters so we can impact as many youths as possible.

Anything else you would want other youth in  Scarborough to know? Students in Enactus?
I would like the youth in Scarborough to know that we are here to help you grow both
personally and professionally. We are working to expand so we can help as many of you as
possible. You already have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur in you, you just might
need a little bit of a push. For students in Enactus, I hope you stay tuned for our updates as we
plan on expanding our team along with hiring new mentors. For both students and mentors,
this program can be integral to your personal development so even if you are unsure, I
encourage you to take that leap of faith and join our program.

For youth interested in joining MSYL and/or YEO please email
healthpromotion@schcontario.ca or call (416)-642-9445 ext. 4473.

SALMA JAFFER & FLORETTE BACCHUS - HAYNES
Clinical Social Workers
Interprofessional Primary Care Team

Grief is a normal response to any loss and it is painful. COVID-19 outbreak has been unprecedented time for the entire community and collectively we are grieving the loss of our loved ones. During COVID-19 we are dealing with more than one wave of grief. Grieving is an experience that can shake the foundations of the lives of those affected. It calls upon individuals and families to utilize a significant number of resources in order to find ways to cope with the situation adequately; and to maintain some kind of balance and harmony in their lives.

With the already stressful days of being confined, being away from those we love, human touch, missed celebrations and trying to get use to the new normal can take a toll on you emotionally, mentally and physically. Our resilience will help us to practice new way of grieving.
Below is a chart explaining waves of grief that the community are experiencing during the pandemic.

Exploring coping strategies

We have to think of ourselves as being resilient because we are able to “bounce back” from losses and negative events by taking control of the situation, and practicing strategies to manage your grief, depression and anxiety.  We all have our own strengths that we could use to help us cope with difficult life situations.

• Acknowledge your feelings of grief by allowing your feelings/emotions to come out.  It is normal.
• Remember the special times, such as anniversaries, birthdays, or holidays can intensify feelings of grief, talk to someone, a close friend or a therapist

• Crying is not a sign of weakness and crying is normal as it helps you to release your emotions
• Join a peer support group.  Reaching out to others who might be going through the same journey as yours
• Visit love ones while following the necessary precautions for this unprecedented time
• Grow a plant in memory of your loved one
• Write a letter to the person you lost
• Practice self-care, by eating healthy, exercise and proper sleep
• Try holistic methods of coping, for example, Mindfulness, music therapy, art therapy and journaling
• Try to avoid depending upon substances such as alcohol, medications or drugs to help cope with your feelings
• Be kind to yourself

 
Additional Resources
 
Bereaved Families of Ontario 
Canadian Mental Health Association
CAMH
Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities
Toronto Central Health
 
References
 
Burrell, A., Selman, L.E. (2020). OMEGA. How do Funeral Practices impact Bereaved Relatives’ Mental Health, Grief and Bereavement? A Mixed Methods Review with implications for COVID-19. Journal of Death and Dying, 2020 –journals.sagepub.com
 
Wallace, C.L., Wladkowski, S.P., Stephanie, P. (2020). Grief during the COVID-19 pandemic: considerations for palliative care providers.

by VALERIE COX
National Outdoor Furniture

​During the summertime, people spend a great amount of time in the sun. From cutting the grass to baseball games to swimming, so many of our daily activities happen outside.

Spending time in the sun has many health benefits, but it is important to take the right steps to protect your skin from the sun’s exposure. By taking precautionary measures, you can safely enjoy the sun and all the fun moments and memories that summertime brings.
 
The Benefits of Spending Time Outside

Spending time outside is important for both your mental and physical health. By spending time in the sun, you receive Vitamin D which is responsible for bone growth, cell growth, immunity, and lowering inflammation in your body. From a mental health perspective, spending time outside is extremely beneficial because it increases your serotonin amount, the hormone that helps lower stress levels and improves your mood.
 
How Much Time Should I Spend Outside?

Spending time outside looks different for everyone because some work outside while others spend time outside for recreational purposes. To receive an adequate amount of Vitamin D, you should be spending between 10-30 minutes in the sun several times a week. Whenever you spend time outdoors, it is important to stay safe in the sun and make necessary adjustments for your skin type.

​Tips for Staying Safe in the Sun

Seek shade
​
Just like your body needs rest from physical activity, your body needs a break from the sun too. When outdoors, it is smart to seek shade either under natural elements like trees or architectural structures and even under umbrellas. Many parks and outdoor spaces around the city designated and created shaded areas for this purpose. So rest and remember that it is important to give your skin a break too.

By ARENNE KIRITHARAN
​SCHC

The fall of 2017 brought forward a challenge to MSYL (Mid Scarborough Youth Leadership) that was unlike anything we’ve done before. Our passions and commitment were tested as we applied for a grant with Toronto Public Health that would allow for a long-time project and vision to come to fruition. Litter Butt was an initiative that was in the works for a long time before we had the proper funding and support that would get us started.

As we embarked on the journey, each step only provided us with more challenges; that was until May 31st, World No Tobacco Day, where we proudly unveiled our finished product, that really only marked the beginning of our story.
 
Litter Butt is an anti-smoking and anti-cigarette litter campaign that emphasizes the harmful effects that smoking has on the human body and on the environment. Through a visual metaphor, of creating cigarette waste receptacles out of the shape of lungs so that as the litter in the lungs grow, the deterioration of the lungs are represented. Youth between the ages of 13-21 lead and part take in multiple activities as a part of this initiative. 

BY BETTY-ANN RUTLEDGE 
Volunteers, Outreach & Training Community
​Hospice Program & Friendly Visiting

In June 2018, 32-year-old Novelette Munroe came to SCHC for grief support following multiple deaths in her life. She accessed various services including one-to-one and group peer/mutual support.  Novelette was able to gain perspective, validation and affirmation of her experiences, and cultivate strength and hope from hearing the stories of others who have “been there”.
 
Novelette's Journey with HPC
 
When we first met Novelette, she shared with us that she was living with the life-limiting illness, Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). Novelette had been active in the EB community and met many people around the world living with this unique condition. She had also recently lost her best friends, Jessica and Jamie, who were like sisters to her. Losing these beloved friends, along with so many others, was what initially brought Novelette to seek grief support at SCHC and motivated her to volunteer.
 
Novelette was recently told that her condition has worsened, and she was referred to a palliative care doctor. Options for sustaining life with this debilitating disease are limited.  Novelette has seen people she loves go through painful surgeries and treatments to try and prolong life and has made the decision for her own life to focus on the quality of life, not quantity – one of the underlying values of Hospice Palliative Care (HPC). After several conversations and careful consideration, Novelette has now become one of our Hospice Palliative Care clients.

​The Circle of Care
 
Novelette is being followed by one of our RN Palliative Navigators, Tasher and receiving support from our Spiritual Care Coordinator, Diane. The duo has been assisting Novelette and her family with making advance care plans – including decisions about end-of-life care and funeral preparations. Novelette’s mother has been her lifelong caregiver, and she does not want the burden of these difficult decisions to be left to her mother when Novelette dies. Linda, a hospice home visiting volunteer, has also been matched with Novelette. Linda’s experience journeying with many people to the end of life offers comfort and open and honest conversation opportunities to Novelette as she navigates this journey. Novelette is a strong advocate for herself and her care needs and continues to inspire all of us.
 
While receiving HPC services, Novelette remains an active member of our volunteer team. She provides telephone support to bereavement care clients and assisted with our first virtual volunteer training:  Peer Bereavement Support in times of COVID-19.
 
“Losing my friends was like losing my compasses. I had no direction to head towards and no means of getting there. But finding SCHC changed that. I found meaning in my sorrow. I found usefulness in my pain by becoming a Peer Bereavement Volunteer. Suddenly, my pain meant empathy for others. A brand of usefulness that was more for me than it was others. The power in that usefulness keeps me going by giving me something to live for. I now wear my grief as a badge of honour because I belong to a human club that means love as much as it means sorrow. The people I have worked with here have made me feel this way and I am thankful to have them in my corner.”
 
- Novelette, 2020 (Quotation and Story Shared with Permission)
 
Right Care. Right Time. Right Place. 

Registered and allied health specialists with expert knowledge in Hospice Palliative Care, along with professionally screened and educated volunteers, work with people to ensure that they are able to live fully, safely and confidently in the setting of their choice. HPC addresses all the domains of care: physical/medical, emotional, practical, psycho-social, and spiritual for the person living with the illness, caregiver support to family of choice and includes ongoing grief and bereavement support.
 
For more information about the suite of services offered through our Hospice Palliative Care team, please contact 416-847-4111 or visit our website www.schcontario.ca.

​BY DHARSHANA JAYAPATHY, BA, BSW, MSW(c), RSW
Coordinator, Tamil Seniors Health Program
Caregiver Wellness Team

2020 has been a new experience for all of us, and the month of June was no exception. Many of us look forward to June as it marks the beginning of summer. For our seniors, this is also a month of celebration in recognizing their efforts and contributions to the community. This year, due to the pandemic, we weren’t able to celebrate June Seniors’ Month the same way we normally do, in person; instead, we offered a variety of virtual programs for seniors to participate in – including Zumba, meditation and cooking. However, not all of our clients have access to technology nor do they speak English to engage in our virtual programs. To overcome these challenges, we created a Seniors’ Month Package that was mailed out for our clients to work on throughout the month of June.
 
Our goal was to help seniors stay mentally stimulated while reducing stress and loneliness. The Seniors’ Month Package included adult coloring pages, brain teasers (such as word searches, word scramble, mazes, numerical puzzles etc.), breathwork, and a craft activity. According to research:

• Brain teasers can help certain thinking skills that tend to decline with age – for example: processing speed, planning skills, reaction time, decision making, and short-term memory loss
• Breathwork can reduce or help manage stress and anxiety; increase energy; boost immunity; improve quality of sleep; develop or increase self-awareness; help reduce pain; and improve digestion
• Adult Coloring Pages can reduce stress and anxiety; improve fine motor skills and vision; improve focus; increase dopamine levels in the brain; give brain an opportunity to problem solve without the stress of timeliness; and improve sleep
• Crafts can reduce feeling of isolation; provide confidence and a sense of purpose; help organize thoughts and feelings; promote personal space; improve fine motor skills; provide a source of pleasure and creative self-expression; control stress and enhance relaxation; and provide feeling of connectivity.

 
We created the craft activity in partnership with Community Arts Guild; their artists produced an activity that can be done with minimal instructions so that it is also accessible to those who face language barriers.

To further support our clients with accessibility, we hosted two support sessions in English and Tamil languages; both workshops were accessible by telephone and Zoom where clients can get additional support to completing their worksheets as well have an opportunity to practice breathwork with the Program Coordinator.
 
Originally we had aimed to have 60 packages delivered to current clients who had no access to technology. As soon as the word got out to the community and our partners, this initiative soon became a huge hit requiring us to increase the number of packages to 75, 90, 100, and eventually we capped at 150 mail-outs. We also provided electronic version of the package to some of our partners resulting in supporting nearly 200 seniors throughout the month of June. We were overwhelmed by the response from the community and partners as we realize this is a rare initiative taken on by SCHC to address accessibility and inclusion in service delivery. The positive response wasn’t just demonstrated in numbers but also through direct feedback from clients. Below is one of SCHC’s Tamil seniors showcasing one of her finished activity sheets from the Seniors’ Month Package.

​ Linga Kulasegaram: “I really enjoy it! Keeps me busy! Also helps with my English and keeps my brain active.”
 
Another client, Ravi Kandasamy, said: “Thank you for the June Seniors Package. It kept me occupied and forget my loneliness. I really enjoyed the numerical games.”
 
Through this initiative, we supported our clients as well as our community partners – including multiple Fred Victor locations, Tesoc Multicultural Settlement Services, and Toronto Community Housing buildings.
 
When it comes to programs and services, SCHC is highly adaptive in meeting the changing needs of its community, and thrives to produce innovative approaches that overcome barriers so that our clients are best served.

If you have ideas on how we can best support you during this pandemic, reach us at: info@schcontario.ca with the subject line Seniors Idea.

 
Reference:

• Harvard Health Publishing. (2019, Oct 1). The thinking on brain games. Retrieved May 19, 2020 from https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/the-thinking-on-brain-games

• Hoyt, J. (2018, January 24). Crafts for Seniors: Easy Arts & Crafts Activities for Senior Citizens. Retrieved May 10, 2020,  from https://www.seniorliving.org/life/activities/crafting/

• Huotilainen, M., Rankanen, M., Groth, C., Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, P., & Mäkelä, M.
  (2018). Why our  brains love arts and crafts. FORMakademisk, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.7577/formakademisk.1908
• Brown, S. (2016, February 4). Adult Coloring Catching On as Stress Reliever. Washington Informer.
  Retrieved from  https://search.proquest.com/docview/176513554

Interview by RHEA TONY
Marketing and Communications Intern
​SCHC

Shye Zhang is a Toronto based artist who donated proceeds to SCHC from her fundraising auction held in June 2020 during the pandemic lockdown.

• What motivated you to start this fundraiser?

Food banks, growing up, my family relied on them. And especially during the pandemic I thought it would be nice to give back and since I found that I like to involve the community for small things. I also do a lot of paintings on little studies and collections that just becomes all this junk in my room. So, I decided to auction them off to raise money. I planned it out for a week and then extended it for another week. That is where the idea originated actually. Since I do portraits and artworks, I couldn’t get a hold of any live models because of the quarantine lockdown and so I did a lot of still life and they were just basic items I had at home.

• Please tell us more about your work and what kind of art style you adopted? 

It was actually quite different from my usual style which is mostly color-based work and if you’ve seen my usual work, you’ll know that this is unique and a new twist to my regular art style.

They are these colorful studies and are quite small. I think that’s what people liked and were motivated to donate and pitch in because they weren’t a big ask and the paintings were small enough for anyone to just put up on the wall themselves very easily.

• What does art mean to you personally? How do you choose what to draw and paint? Is there a process and inspiration?

Currently, I’ve been choosing on a whim, basically doing what I am interested in and since I was at home the entire time they turned out to be still life images. One of the painting, I have currently is a bunch of goldfish crackers. I think at some point, all of us have been there, just staring at random things around the house trying to stay focused and not worry about the ongoing situation.

I didn’t do anything too deep. I painted nail polish bottles and lipstick, as I mentioned crackers and pencils. Just finding little ways to keep myself busy. I tried to draw and paint one item a day just so I had personal target. Keeping creative and finding beauty in little things became my own way of connecting with reality via these small items.

• Approximately how much did you raise to donate to SCHC from this initiative? 

Almost $300 with only some of the paintings! My big number was only $100 but I’m surprised we went over it. It was very rewarding and encouraging to see people raise funds for a good cause. And in a sense if I hadn’t done this, I would still have all these little pieces taped to my wall forever for the rest of my life or however long I live here.

It was nice to see people appreciate art and see it become bigger than “I am”. During this time (quarantine) to look at the bright side of things. And not be so bogged down with worries.

•  or What made you choose to donate the proceeds to SCHC? 

The whole experience of giving people art and seeing them encouraging everyone to create and do new things and spread the word. I’ve lived here all my life, grown and raised here and local fun communities. I believe in funding your local communities, making sure whoever you interact with is happy and healthy. I can’t really change the world, but I can do something small, something like this and that’s a good step towards a greater cause.

• What would you suggest to others looking to do third party fundraising events?

If you plan on holding an auction, I recommend good marketing. It helps so much! I would say you want to offer something in exchange for their generosity, and in a way, art is easy since it could be something small, but people still respond to it with love and praise. It is universal.

This was my first auction ever – it was nerve-wracking. I was nervous, and it was scary but that’s how everything you do for the first time will feel. And whoever plans on fundraising, you have to do it from a good place because people can tell. They know if you’re doing it for fun or for attention, and that if you’re genuine enough. I just happened to get in lockdown with my family, paint these small household items and chose to auction it off instead of having them on my wall because I could do something better for the community. I don’t have  any experience aside from this first try and honestly the encouragement and positive response I received helped me gain confidence.

• Are you planning on holding another fundraising event anytime soon?

If I do end up doing art again for a fundraising or hold an auction, I think this time I would end up doing something focused towards the cause. For e.g.: if I did something for the SCHC food bank, I would probably draw milk and cookies or something along those lines. Something to connect with the cause and bring in more donors and people.

It can be tricky to feel present and if doing something you like as a hobby can help you feel better, then do that.
​
 
You can find unsold artwork by Shye on her website here: https://www.shye.ca/ or take classes and workshops at her studio ​https://www.shyestudio.ca/

Make your impactful donation today to SCHC right here: https://www.schcontario.ca/donate-now.html