About this project

Empower homeless people through artistic expression on the Hearts Of Fire Project 2010 World Homeless Day Tour!

The Hearts Of Fire Project team will travel to Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Santa Barbara and other cities along the way, stopping at homeless shelters where we will conduct an art empowerment workshop. At each shelter, we develop a context that empowers people to envision, create and contribute who they are and what they want to say to the world. Men, women and children freely express themselves in their art and in a powerful and often profound group discussion which follows. We also record the original music of participants and film the entire trip.

We plan to travel September 15 through October 9 culminating in a collaborative, community event in Santa Barbara on October 10, World Homeless Day, a global celebration that will take place in major cities around the world. At this event, and others along the way, we will display the art work we collected at each site and show a video of our tour, including interviews with the people we meet at the shelters.

Our teams have logged more than 6,000 miles visiting shelters over the last three years. We have a strong track record and have inspired many to open their hearts and connect with people who don't have homes. Likewise, the people we meet at the shelters are inspired, many for the first time in their lives, about their ability to make a contribution that is valued by others. We believe that any real "solution" to homelessness must begin with a basic shift in our understanding of and connection with our fellow human beings. The first step in breaking through negative attitudes and social anxiety about homelessness is to create a bridge between people and encourage them to communicate directly. The arts have served this function for centuries and it works. People are consistently touched, moved and inspired at our art shows and film screenings. You can see some of the art here and videos here.

The funding we raise will be used to pay travel expenses for a 3 person team, purchase art and other supplies, rent event venues and pay a stipend to people who provide technical and/or professional services (e.g., art therapy, audio/video editing, etc.). We travel in a donated RV which helps us save money on lodging and food. We live in the RV and cook our meals there as well. Most of the time, we park the RV at a shelter and stay there over night. This allows us to interact with everyone and really get to know people. Unfortunately, the RV uses a lot of gas (8 MPG) so a substantial portion of our funding goes for fuel. Whenever possible, we obtain goods and services via donation, but this does not always work when on the road.

We have done a lot with very little. With your help, we can create a greater understanding and acceptance of the huge contribution that homeless people hold for the world. When they are empowered, everyone will be empowered and a new and inspiring vision of what is possible for human beings will begin to unfold. We need everyone to create a world that works for everyone.