GIFTS OF GRATITUDE 2021-22 — Youth Art For Healing

Traditionally, our YAFH student artists have created paintings designed for specific healthcare locations in the Washington D.C. metro area and beyond. YAFH was founded with the mission to provide a sense of comfort, inspiration and healing for patients and their loved ones, and healthcare professionals.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic limited our access to healthcare locations, so the YAFH team put our heads together and came up with a new idea that would be an extension of our original mission. Our healthcare partners embraced this idea, and art teachers and their students welcomed the idea that they could help spread comfort and healing through their artwork during the pandemic.

During the 2020-21 school year, in addition to two healthcare location-based projects, our student artists created amazing Gifts of Gratitude paintings to give to frontline healthcare HEROES to thank them for their service during the COVID-19 pandemic. That is how Gifts of Gratitude began and because frontline healthcare workers have continued to bravely battle COVID-19, we continued the program into the 2021-22 school year.

2021-22 Gifts of Gratitude

During the 2021-22 school year, 303 students from fourteen schools created 125 works of art to give to frontline healthcare workers. Participating schools include A. Mario Loiederman Middle School, Albert Einstein High School, Benjamin D. Foulois Creative and Performing Arts Academy, Brightwood Education Campus, Charles H. Flowers High School, Gaywood Elementary School, Largo High School, Thomas S. Wootton High School, Thurgood Marshall Middle School, Watkins Mill High School, Wheaton High School, and White Oak Middle School The students’ beautiful, uplifting works of art can be viewed below.

“I want to thank your students for this exquisite art piece. This masterpiece was created by students from Wootton High School. It is absolutely gorgeous, reminds me of the California Coast where I grew up. Please convey my gratitude to the student artists on a job well done."

- Kim, Healthcare Provider, Holy Cross Hospital