Make Art Make Change: Our 2025 Giving Tuesday Impact
Every year, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, millions of people choose to show up for others. Their mission is to transform the world through radical generosity.
Giving Tuesday has always held deep meaning for me - long before Inner Peace Art Studio existed.
In 2012, after the Sandy Hook tragedy, I began raising money and sending handmade cards to survivors. That experience transformed how I understood generosity, grief, and community.
It became an annual ritual I’ve kept close to my heart - donating over the years to NAMI, 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, The Trevor Project, and other organizations doing essential work for mental health and vulnerable communities, many that have very personal ties to my own life story so far.
So today, we’re taking a soft pause in our Healing Through Art blog series to share something special:
✨ How our community used creativity to create real-world change this Giving Tuesday
✨ Where the Make Art Make Change Fund donations went
✨ How your purchases during Ten Days of Deals were matched and multiplied
✨ And how this impact will continue through December
Because this studio has always been about more than painting…It’s about healing, not just for ourselves but for the world around us.
What Is Make Art Make Change?
Make Art Make Change is the charitable arm of Inner Peace Art Studio - our ongoing commitment to giving back to organizations that support mental health, chronic illness, disability, domestic violence survivors, arts in health, and communities who need it most.
During Ten Days of Deals, 10% of every sale went straight into this fund. We timed this initiative intentionally so we could take advantage of national Giving Tuesday and end-of-year matches - meaning your creative investment also became meaningful support for others.
Creating art changes you. Your community-based arts practice also changed lives this week.
Our Giving Tuesday Contributions
Check out who we donated to and how much so far, from largest to smallest total impact:
Each listing includes:
✔️ Organization name
✔️ Brief description oft their mission
✔️ Amount donated
✔️ Amount matched
✔️ Why it matters to our Inner Peace Art Studio community
1. NAMI – $300 donated → $600 matched →
Total Impact: $900
National Alliance on Mental Illness
https://www.nami.org
Donation: $300 from the Make Art Make Change fund
Matches:
$300 matched through the KPMG U.S. Foundation Giving Tuesday Challenge
$300 matched through Katie’s full-time writing gig employer (a Fortune 500 company)
Total Impact: $900
Why NAMI Matters to IPAS
NAMI has been part of my Giving Tuesday tradition for years. As someone navigating anxiety, panic, chronic illness, and the emotional load that comes with all of that, mental health resources are essential — for me and for our community.
NAMI’s HelpLine, which Giving Tuesday donations help expand, provides free, life-saving support to anyone navigating a mental health crisis.
But this donation is also personal.
In Honor of Brandon Bitner
My 14 year old cousin, Brandon Bitner, died by suicide on November 5, 2010, after enduring relentless LGBTQ+ bullying. His story was covered nationally, and I’ve been interviewed about him in several articles. At the time, I built his website and raised funds for his music scholarship in his honor at Susquehanna University. Losing him changed me forever. Supporting NAMI is one of the ways I honor his life and continue advocating for mental health resources that save lives.
This is impact that matters. This is Make Art Make Change in action.
2. CT-ALIVE – $100 donated → $100 matched →
Total Impact: $200
Connecticut Alliance for Victims of Violence and Their Families
https://www.ct-alive.org
Donation: $100 submitted by an IPAS member via the Make Art Make Change Nomination form (kept anonymous)
Match: $100 matched through Katie’s full-time writing gig employer
Total Impact: $200
Why CT-ALIVE Matters to IPAS
CT-ALIVE provides free programs that help domestic violence survivors move from victim → survivor → thriver through:
Motivational workshops
Ongoing follow-up sessions
A restorative annual retreat
Their work mirrors so much of the emotional healing journey our members navigate. Supporting their mission means supporting women rebuilding their lives with creativity, courage, and community - values deeply aligned with who we are here.
We’re especially grateful for the community member who nominated this organization. Your voice made this happen, thank you!
3. Dystonia Medical Research Foundation – $100 donated → $100 matched →
Total Impact: $200
Dystonia Medical Research Foundation
https://dystonia-foundation.org
Donation: $100 from the Make Art Make Change fund
Match: $100 matched through Katie’s full-time writing gig employer
Total Impact: $200
In Honor of Our VIP Lifetime Member, Erinn
This donation is dedicated to Erinn, who lives with dystonia and has been a longtime, active member of our community. She shows up with heart, resilience, and incredible advocacy for others living with this condition. Her team is always a top fundraiser for the Dystonia Zoo Day in Portland.
Over the years, she has shared how her art practice has strengthened her confidence and supported her emotional wellbeing - which is exactly what our studio is all about. This gift honors her strength and amplifies her impact. Thanks, Erinn!
4. The Empower Network – $100 Donated →
Total Impact: $100
The Empower Network https://www.empower-network.org/
Donation: $100 from the Make Art Make Change fund
Match: none this round
Total Impact: $100
Why The Empower Network Matters to IPAS
The Empower Network supports chronically ill and disabled entrepreneurs through:
Scholarships
Community programs
Resources that make self-employment more accessible
As someone covered under ADA protections and navigating chronic illness myself, I know how hard it can be to work in a culture built around hustle, speed, and 40+ hour weeks. TEN’s mission deeply aligns with our belief that healing, rest, and livelihood should all be accessible - not mutually exclusive.
IPAS also sponsored their 2025 Gift Guide, supporting disabled-owned businesses alongside our own.
5. NOAH – $100 Donated →
Total Impact: $100
National Organization for Arts in Health
https://thenoah.net
Donation: $100 from the Make Art Make Change fund
Match: none
Total Impact: $100
Why NOAH Matters to IPAS
NOAH is the backbone of the arts-in-health movement in the United States - the exact field our work is grounded in. As I begin my Master of Arts in Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida this January, NOAH’s leadership, research, training, and advocacy will directly shape the future of this studio and the programs we offer.
Supporting NOAH is supporting the larger vision: a world where creative healing is accessible, respected, and integrated into everyday wellbeing.
Giving Tuesday
Total Community Impact: $1,500
(and counting)
Between your Ten Days of Deals purchases, national matching campaigns, and employer contributions, our community generated $1,500 in impact for nonprofits serving mental health, disability, arts in health, and survivors.
And we’re not done - Make Art Make Change continues through December as more registrations and enrollments come in.
How You Can Get Involved
We want this fund to be shaped by our community. You can:
Nominate an organization
Have a nonprofit you love? One that supports chronic illness, disability, mental health, the arts, or women’s wellbeing? Submit it - we’ll support as many as we can.
Help grow the fund
Every class, membership, and workshop you join contributes to Make Art Make Change. 10 Days of Deals is still happening this week.
Dream with us
Our long-term vision includes creating a scholarship program or nonprofit arm to support women with chronic illness and disability in accessing creative healing regardless of financial circumstance.
Healing should never be a luxury. Art should always be accessible… for everyone!
Thank You
From the bottom of my heart - thank you. Your support during Ten Days of Deals didn’t just fuel your creative practice, it created direct, tangible impact in the world.
This is what happens when we create together. This is Make Art Make Change. And this is only the beginning.