Peace Love Foundation

PEACELOVE GIVES PEOPLE AN EASY, LOW-PRESSURE WAY TO FIND EMOTIONAL RELIEF THROUGH CREATIVE ACTIVITIES.

ACCOMPLISHMENT 1. CREATORS TO DATE, WE HAVE TRAINED 234 CREATORS (FRONTLINE PROFESSIONALS) TO DELIVER 7,824 WORKSHOPS. OUR TRAINED CREATORS HAVE TOUCHED OVER 100,000 INDIVIDUALS, ACROSS 31 STATES IN THE US AND 2 CANADIAN PROVINCES, WITH OUR LIFE-CHANGING CREATIVE ACTIVITIES. THROUGH 13 YEARS OF OFFERING OUR PROGRAMS TO PEOPLE OF EVERY AGE AND WALK OF LIFE, WE'VE DISCOVERED A UNIVERSAL TRUTH: THERE'S MAGIC IN THE MAKING. MAKING STUFF HELPS PEOPLE FEEL BETTER. IN 2021, DESPITE THE CONTINUED CHALLENGES PRESENTED BY COVID, OUR CREATORS WERE ABLE TO DELIVER 566 WORKSHOPS IMPACTING OVER 4,000 INDIVIDUALS. 2. VIRTUAL TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS THE CHALLENGES OF 2021 CONTINUED TO PRESENT OPPORTUNITIES TO RECALIBRATE, AND EXPLORE NEW, MORE ACCESSIBLE, WAYS OF REACHING PEOPLE. WE BUILT ON THE LONGSTANDING SUCCESS OF OUR IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING AND PIVOTED TO VIRTUAL TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS. GUIDED BY OUR VALUES, AND THE UNPRECEDENTED NEED, WE CONTINUED TO CHALLENGE OURSELVES TO IMPROVE ACCESS FOR ALL. THROUGH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON TRAININGS WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO GROW OUR CREATORS NETWORK BY 33 PASSIONATE, FRONT LINE PROFESSIONALS. WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO IMPACT 2491 NEW PARTICIPANTS THROUGH IN-PERSON AND/OR VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS WHOM OTHERWISE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD ACCESS TO OUR PROGRAMS. IMPACT STORIES STORY 1. "BEING A CREATOR HAS CHANGED MY LIFE. I HAVE SEEN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF THE PARTICIPANTS, AND IT HAS ALSO FUELED ME AND GIVEN NEW PURPOSE AND MEANING TO THE WORK I DO. I AM SO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE TO OTHERS IN THIS WAY." - LAURA COTTO, NURTURING FAMILIES/LAWRENCE AND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. STORY 2. "IT MAY SOUND CHEESY BUT IT WAS REALLY NICE TO SEE THEM THE WOMEN LAUGHING AND PLAYING. THEY REMINDED ME OF A GROUP OF KIDS, WANTING TO TRY EVERY INSTRUMENT, DANCING AROUND, ALMOST AS IF THEY WERE CAREFREE. FOR THE COLORING SEGMENT I HAD THEM SPLIT INTO 3 GROUPS. ONCE THEY WERE DONE WITH THEIR PARTNER, THEY WANTED TO DO A GROUP CREATION. WHO AM I TO SAY NO? THE FIRST PERSON PUT HER HAND DOWN AND THE REST FOLLOWED. THEY STARTED SIMPLY TRACING THEIR HANDS, ONE RIGHT NEXT TO THE OTHER. THEY STARTED DECORATING THEIR OWN TRACED HANDS AND THEN THEY ROTATED AROUND THE TABLE ADDING TO EACH OTHER'S. WHEN THEY EXPLAINED THEIR CREATION AT THE END, THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW IN THEIR ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS THEY FELT ALONE. THEIR HANDPRINTS TOGETHER SYMBOLIZED THAT THEY WEREN'T ALONE AND CAN NOW BETTER SUPPORT EACH OTHER." - ADRI MEJIA, WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST. STORY 3. "THE MEN LOVE PEACELOVE THEY SHARED THAT COMING TO THEIR FACILITY AND FACILITATING WORKSHOPS SHOWS THEM THAT SOMEONE CARES AND GIVES THEM A CHANCE TO BE CREATIVE. I LOVE IT BECAUSE I THINK IT TEACHES SO MUCH ABOUT EMOTIONS AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM, WHILE NORMALIZING HAVING MORE THAN ONE EMOTION AT ANY GIVEN TIME. I THINK THAT THE MEN WHO TAKE THIS WORKSHOP FEEL THE SAME. IT'S ALWAYS INCREDIBLE TO SEE THEIR WALLS COME DOWN DURING THIS WORKSHOP AND TALK ABOUT THE FEELINGS THEY PRESENT ON THE OUTSIDE VS WHAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY FEELING INTERNALLY. THIS WORKSHOP LAYS DOWN THE FOUNDATION TO BE VULNERABLE.ONE MAN WROTE THAT; "IT FELT GOOD TO BE ABLE TO GET THESE EMOTIONS OUT ON PAPER..." WHICH WAS INCREDIBLE THAT HE WAS WILLING AND ABLE TO DO THE WORK HE DID IN THIS WORKSHOP. THE CREATORS PROGRAM AND WHAT IT DOES, GIVES ME SO MUCH HOPE FOR THE LIVES' OF THE MEN I WORK WITH DAILY. THIS IS OUR MOST POPULAR ACTIVITY WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE IT CONTINUE TO GROW." - MAK DOWNOUR FRANKLIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE.