The Jaime Elaine Creative Gives Back
Read about why I give back below, and stay up to date on my current fundraiser here!
Using my art for others
Community support, Mental Health, and Equity and Inclusion are just some causes I care deeply about. As a white woman, I do my best to listen and learn to the experiences of others to find out how to use my voice and my privilege to disrupt systemic issues in our society. I want to use my skills and gifts to speak up, fight for others, and give back the best ways I know how. I deeply believe that art is healing and beneficial for every age.
In my classes with young kids, I like to focus on emphasizing Social and Emotional learning, using movement and creativity to breech difficult subjects with kids (it is never too early to talk to kids about what is happening in the world around us), teaching about and lifting up our beautiful differences, and emphasizing kind ways to interact with others. Dance especially can be a great way to express emotions and learn to name them which is so crucial. I do my best to use my skills not only to create a fun environment, but also to teach young people how they can use their bodies and voices for others too.
When I started painting more seriously and selling my art in 2020, I decided I didn’t just want to create art that might brighten someone’s home and bring joy, but also use my art to give back. I have since done my best to raffle off a painting for a different organization at least once a year. My goal is to eventually do at least one each quarter. I like to think of it a bit like mutual aid. With small contributions from multiple people (in this case, taking the form of raffle tickets), our money can go just that much further toward creating change. And someone wins a pretty painting in the process!
Read below about some of the organizations I’ve supported thus far, and stay up to date on any live raffles or events on this page!
Previous Fundraisers
2023 Fundraiser:
The Jaime Elaine Creative is thrilled to announce that we raised over $500 for Leukemia and Lymphoma research!
Jaime raffled off the original watercolor painting (pictured here) to raise money in support of cancer research at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Jaime’s 4th grade teacher, Jamie Kovarik, just passed away from Leukemia on October 8th, and her husband’s uncle, Bernie Gannon, passed away from Lymphoma in 2020. These two people were very important to Jaime and her family, and she was pleased to be able to honor them both with donations*!
*In order to officially dedicate the donation to both Jamie Kovarik and Bernie Gannon, we split the donation in two. Shown here are the receipts for these contributions!
August 2022
2022 was a busy year for my business. It was my first official year as an LLC, and I did my first art festivals throughout the summer and winter. Therefore, I only was able to do one raffle, and I chose to donate the proceeds to Everytown for Gun Safety! Since the November elections were approaching, I felt this organization to be crucial to keeping kids and families safe. Gun violence is preventable and it’s something I care deeply about. Click the link below to check out everything this organization is doing!
November 2021
For my November raffle, I chose to support Coffee, Hip Hop, and Mental Health. I find it especially helpful during this time of year to emphasize people’s mental health and bring attention to the work of amazing groups working to support communities and remind us that it’s ok to be vulnerable and to ask for help. Therapy is unfortunately a luxury item when it should be an essential item for all, and CHHAMH works to change that.
With your help, we were able to donate $170 to this organization!
From their website:
The beauty of our work is rooted in creating necessary opportunities for people to open up and build. Encouraging the black & brown community to speak up for themselves. Creating access to physical, emotional and mental well-being, while also working to create economical opportunities. You can’t truly focus on your mental health if you’re too busy trying to survive. We work to normalize their physical, emotional and mental well-being.
June 2021
This June, I wanted to emphasize and support both Pride month and Juneteenth, so I picked two organizations to support. It was an ambitious fundraiser for sure, but we were able to raise $200 and split the funds between two orgs.
Those orgs were:
Brave Space Alliance which is a Black, Trans led organization that builds community, supports, and provides resources for the LGBTQ+ community in Chicago, specifically on the South Side. And
Planks and Pistils, a Black-owned local floral shop that was raising funds to create a floral installation to commemorate Juneteenth. Check out John’s amazing work on instagram at @planksandpistils to see how he uses his incredible talent to speak out and give back in the community. His work inspires me!
January 2021
I don’t know about you, but after the holidays, the winter gets pretty rough for my mental health. As I stated above, Mental Health Awareness and de-stigmatization is very important to me, so this fundraiser supported The Loveland Foundation. The Loveland Foundation is an organization with roots in my hometown of Akron, Ohio, and it helps bring access to mental health services to Black women and girls. This was my most successful raffle so far, raising $320 for this cause!
November 2020
For my very first fundraiser, I actually did an auction. I was able to raise $170 for an amazing Chicago organization called My Block My Hood My City. This organization is working to make the amazing city we live in accessible to all the people who call it home. They bring opportunities to youth from the South and West sides to explore the city and help break cycles of poverty. After this auction, however, I realized I’d be able to get more people involved by making it a raffle instead of an auction, so that is what I have been doing for each fundraiser since.
Upcoming Fundraiser:
There are no fundraisers at this time.
Check back here soon to learn about the next raffle with The Jaime Elaine Creative!
The painting on the right was the last painting raffled off! Stay tuned for what we will be raffling next, and where the funds will be going!
