Painting for Rivers of Hope

Here, Lauren describes what she organized in her own words:

For my organize an activity project, I decided to make painting to “sell” to raise money to donate to Rivers of Hope…I started out my project by asking Rivers of Hope to send me some posters or brochures that I could post online to help others understand what exactly it is that they do. After that I started painting as I was hoping to have an abundance of paintings to sell by the end of this project. In the end, I only had about 10 which is more paintings than I’ve ever made in that time period so I was pretty happy with that. It worked out that I painted about two paintings a week. I then went around to family and friends and asked if they would be interested in donating money in exchange for any of my paintings. The remaining paintings I posted on Facebook along with a donation button. I also left it open to only donations without a painting, just in case.

Ultimately, I made 10 paintings and sold 9 for a grand total of $435.00. None of the paintings had set prices; I allowed people to donate whatever they could. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. I never set a goal in my head of how much I wanted to raise but thanks to the support of my friends and family we were able to raise an amazing amount to help out our community.

One of Lauren’s beautiful paitings.

One of Lauren’s beautiful paitings.

One of Lauren’s beautiful paitings.

A screenshot of a post on social media advertising Lauren’s paitnings for sale

What is Rivers of Hope? Lauren writes:

Rivers of Hope serves Sherburne County and Wright County as a sole provider of adult community advocacy and support services for victims of domestic violence. Rivers of Hope offers general and legal advocacy, education, support groups, information, and referrals. In 1991, a youth program was added along with a criminal justice intervention program (Rivers of Hope, About Us Page).

A picture of Lauren’s sales of her paitings.

A picture of some money Lauren raised

A screenshot of Lauren’s correspondence with Rivers of Hope

Lauren’s Reflection on her Organize an Activity:

If I were to do another project, similar to this one, I might choose a different organization to donate to with utilitarianism and effective altruism in mind. Utilitarianism is the belief that we should be doing the most good for the most people in the long and short term, keeping in mind the degree of happiness (PPT Utilitarianism). While Rivers of Hope does benefit our community and has potential to grow out to a larger audience, it doesn’t directly save lives like some other organizations do. Effective altruism uses utilitarian ideologies but incorporates other aspects such as researching organizations and taking into account how many will be affected and how much of the doantions go directly to the cause (PPT The Most Good You Can Do). I did not research what portion of my donation would go to Rivers of Hope but later researched. Rivers of Hope is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization meaning it is highly regulated, donations are tax deductible, tax exmpt, and earnings cannot unfairly benefit any private individual. This means my donation will go directly to helping victims of domestic violence.

That being said, 1 in 3 female murder victims and 1 in 20 male murder victims are killed by intimate partners (https://www.speakcdn.com/assets/2497/domestic_violence2.pdf). Other “symptoms” of domestic violence include mental, emotional, and physical impacts, stalking, danger for the victim’s family members, and death. According to DomesticShelters.org, anywhere between 1,800 to 3,500 women die every year due to domestic violence, not including long term effects of violence (https://www.domesticshelters.org/articles/in-the-news/why-it-s-important-to-say-died-by-domestic-violence). It may not be the most people, but these facts make a case for my project following utilitarianism guidelines.

I am super proud of what I was able to do with my project. To think or act ethically, as defined by Weston, is to take care of the basic needs and legitimate expectations of others as well as our own (Weston, 3). I find the absence of domestic violence in our relationships and in our homes as a legitimate expectation. Domestic violence can have detrimental effects on the emotional, mental, and physical well-being of an individual. Children who witness domestic violence can develop anxiety, depression, academic problems, and general fearfullness (http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/learn/domestic-violence/effects-domestic-violence). I argue that theses effects violate the legitimate expectations of victims and their families. Overall, I feel that my project really capture the essence of ethics.

Lauren’s Tips for Future Students:

• Start early. You can get so much more done in the timeframe and hopefully sell more paintings to raise more money.
• Know that its okay to set high goals and not reach them. The higher you set your goals, the harder you work to achieve them. Acknowledge the work you were able to accomplish.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Mo is super approchable and helpful. Your friends and family may be able to help out more than you think.
• Don’t be afraid to ask people to buy your art! Rejection is scary but people can be more generous than you think.
• Think early about your ethical connections. It will give your project more meaning to you.
• Start selling paintings while you are making them! As soon as my paintings started selling I had so much more motivation and pride in my project. I was scared to post them or ask anyone for a long time but had I done it earlier, I think I would have gained a lot more confidence and maybe even been more motivated to paint more.
• Make a certerpiece of your project. The “Freedom Tree” painting means so much to me and relates to my project as well. I feel like it really tied my whole project together.

Lauren says this about her video:

This video showcases each of the 10 paintings I made along with a timelapse of the largest painting which was done on a 22″x 28″ canvas. “Freedom Tree,” which is what I named the painting, was done by request for my mom. When my mom was divorcing my dad and utilizing Rivers of Hope’s resources, she bought this tiny tree that fit in the back of her minivan. It grew to be a massive tree and served as the centerpiece in our front yard. She’s been asking me for a painting of “the freedom tree” since we moved four years ago and this project seemed to be a perfect time to finally paint it.

Watch the video here.