She helps heal hearts-with art!

When a call on Randi Pupkin's heart told her to bring the visual arts to underserved populations, she knew she couldn't ignore it. But 23 years later, she could never have imagined just how many lives her nonprofit would touch-or how it would change her own family's life forever!

- Hannah Chenoweth

After yet another contentious phone conversation, Randi Pupkin sat at her desk feeling disheartened. The mother of two had become a lawyer to save the world…but her spirit was waning. Looking around her beige office, she realized the drab color matched her state of mind.

Maybe there’s another way I’m meant to make a difference, she thought, reflecting on the one thing that truly brought her joy: art. She couldn’t shake the feeling that people in her community, especially those in vulnerable populations of Baltimore, Maryland, could benefit from the healing powers of creative expression.

Later that night, she shared this conviction with her husband. "I really feel called to create a nonprofit to bring the visual arts to people who need it the most,” she told him. “What if I could start an organization here in Baltimore to enhance their lives?"

The joy of creation

The very next day, Randi came up with the concept for her nonprofit—Art with a Heart (AWAH)—with the plan to practice law by day and lead community art classes at night. One of those first classes was in a group home, where she dragged her art supplies into a windowless basement and was met with skeptical looks from eight boys. They barely got through the project.

"It wasn’t pleasant," she reported to her husband, calling him from the car after the class. “But I’m determined to create a connection with these kids."

Randi dutifully returned every week—and so did the boys. And to her delight, as they crafted, painted and sketched together, the boys began to cherish visits from the woman they affectionately called “the Art Lady.”