A Letter From The Executive Director

Dear Friends of We Care Arts: 

As our Thanksgiving celebration drew to a close, I captured a final group photo of joyful artist-clients. It was then that another artist-client pulled me aside to say, “Thank you—not just for today, but for everything.” They spoke about how We Care Arts remained a lifeline through the challenges of the pandemic and continues to be a place of safety, growth, and connection. A place where art brings people together not just at Thanksgiving, but during the hard times too throughout the year. 

 It is conversations like this that, believe it or not I truly struggle for words as I am so proud of our community because I know that I am just the point person in that moment and that the real magic of We Care Arts isn't really anything that I do or could ever do. The magic of We Care Arts is our special community from each and every artist-client and staff member to all the folks that support us throughout the year. It is the hope and commitment of our artist-clients to their art and YOUR generosity that not just keeps our doors open and our programs thriving but is at the heart of a very special community all doing their part. It is because of you; lives are transformed through art and community. 

At We Care Arts, every day is a testament to the power of healing through art. Last week’s Thanksgiving celebration in a room filled with creativity, laughter, and belonging is a vibrant reminder of what your support makes possible. Your generosity empowers adults with developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, and brain health diagnoses to heal, grow, and thrive through art. 

But we need your help to keep our community and our mission alive today and into 2025. This holiday season, we face a challenge in funding the gap to ensure our doors remain open to all who need us. As our ADAMHS funds dried up in October due to state cuts in funding this year and the growing concerns regarding the challenges facing the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities funding and leadership, I must ask you to please take a moment right now to recommit to the importance of continuing to offer life-changing We Care Arts programs and a community that celebrates every individual's potential. Your generosity today fuels transformative moments—like seeing an artist-client gain confidence, a sales-associate client thrive at our Town & Country gift shop, or a community embrace inclusion. 

So, as we approach Giving Tuesday tomorrow and end of year giving, I invite you to renew your belief in the power of healing through art. Your meaningful contributions from a single gift or $12 a month sustaining monthly donation to a RMD,  it all goes together as a community to ensure that everyone who steps into We Care Arts feels the warmth, support, and love they need to thrive. 

Together, we continue to create something extraordinary. 

Artfully yours, and wishing you the happiest of heART-filled  holidays!