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How It All Began
Originally founded in 1977 as Free Arts Clinic, Free Arts for Abused Children was born out of the determination of two women who understood and appreciated the inherent therapeutic value of the arts. Carolyn Sargent, a woman who, as a child, used art to emerge from the sadness and isolation of hearing loss, and Elda Unger, an artist and aspiring art therapist. Both women recognized the need for children in foster care to have meaningful engagement with the arts. By conducting art workshops, Carolyn and Elda gave the gift of creative self-expression to children in need of positive outlets for their experiences.
Free Arts Mission & Vision
Free Arts programs inspire hope in the lives of children who have experienced abuse, neglect, poverty and homelessness through innovative creative arts programs and positive interactions with caring adult volunteers.
Free Arts envisions a society of individuals from different communities, cultures and life experiences connecting through the healing power of art to interrupt the cycle of violence, create understanding, build self-esteem and nurture better lives.
Growing Programs
Free Arts started with a single program at a residential facility. As Free Arts grew, thousands of children participated in the Free Arts Day Program and soon thereafter the Weekly Volunteer Program. In 1993, the organization began coordinating art activities in the waiting areas of the Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court in Monterey Park, a courthouse dedicated exclusively to child abuse, neglect and abandonment cases. In 2009 we expanded to the McCourtney Juvenile Justice Center in Lancaster. Free Arts also introduced the Parents and Children Together with Art (PACT) Program in 1994 to help families in crisis.
Today, Free Arts has four thriving cornerstone programs, each of which relies heavily on the dedication of community volunteers who use art as a bridge to connect with vulnerable children.
Reaching Out Around the Country
Free Arts for Abused Children is the legacy organization for a network of affiliates across the United States. After experiencing success in delivering our program models for more than 15 years, an expansion effort was launched in 1993 when an affiliate agency was founded in Arizona. Since that time, several Free Arts affiliates have been established including Free Arts Minnesota and Free Arts NYC. Please contact them directly for information about their local programs.
Note: Out of respect for our founders, we have chosen to keep the name that reflects their original intention: Free Arts for Abused Children. However, in conversations with volunteers, partner agencies, and other supporters, we often go simply by “Free Arts”, and this is always the intention for interactions with children and families participating in programs.
We hope to see many of you at our Charity Festival on 2/22/14 and lets raise as much money as we can for the AMAZING organization!
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