Popping up in 26 countries and 270 communities globally, Stars of HOPE transform communities after a natural or human-caused tragedy and serve as beacons of compassion to help build the resilience of survivors, first responders, and the local population.

Businesses big and small can make an impact this holiday season by harnessing their employees’ creativity and compassion. Stars of HOPE, the world’s largest and fasting growing healing arts program, brings employees together and empowers them to support the emotional recovery of individuals and entire communities in the aftermath of tragedy.

Stars of HOPE provides an in-office, hands-on opportunity to make a personal contribution and a positive, lasting impact as a group. A valuable team building exercise, employees paint colorful, heartfelt messages on 12” blank wooden stars and then send them to anyone who needs hope in the world, no prior training or artistic experience needed. The project is designed to be turn-key, with each Box of HOPE containing everything needed for a creative, meaningful pay-it-forward service event. Stars of HOPE transform communities after a natural or human-caused tragedy and serve as beacons of compassion to help build the resilience of survivors, first responders, and communities.

“Stars of HOPE is an easy yet impactful activity that uses the power of art and words to support those who need hope and healing,” said Jeff Parness, founder and executive director, New York Says Thank You Foundation, the volunteer organization that runs the Stars of HOPE Program. “At the intersection of mental health and art, Stars of HOPE is pioneering communal art therapy on a global scale. We invite the corporate volunteering community to join us in creating more hope in the world.”

Popping up in 26 countries and 270 communities across the globe, Stars of HOPE have aided in the emotional recovery of communities recovering from catastrophic natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, and floods and human-caused tragedies like mass shootings, hate crimes, industrial accidents, and war. Deployed in many ways, the stars serve as beacons of hope and bring words of comfort and strength from people around the world; they have been presented to first responders as an expression of gratitude and displayed in medical institutions as a symbol of hope and compassion to patients.

Stars of HOPE offer a unique volunteer opportunity that empowers employees to participate in disaster relief and recovery from their office or headquarters. Project ideas include team building, corporate or community day of service, take your child to work day, employee onboarding activity, sales meetings, and more. Through Stars of HOPE’s Box of HOPE, available for $100 at StarsofHopeUSA.org, people of all ages can support those in need by creating and displaying colorful art and messages of hope and healing. Each box contains 15 12” wooden stars, six bottles of acrylic paint, and 25 assorted paintbrushes. For each box purchased, Stars of HOPE provides another box to a family or community in need.  Once the stars are painted they can be personally delivered to the intended recipient or sent to the organization’s Hope Bank where they will be deployed to a community in need.

More than 60 companies have participated in the Stars of HOPE service project including KPMG LLP, DENTONS US, LLP, Loews Hotels, Viacom, Haddad Brands among others. For more information on how to partner with Stars of HOPE or examples of how companies have incorporated Stars of HOPE into their employee engagement strategy, please visit the organization’s corporate partner page.

ABOUT STARS OF HOPE

Stars of HOPE® is the world’s largest and fastest growing healing arts program. It is a unique disaster response and community arts program which empowers people of all ages to transform communities impacted by natural and human-caused disasters by creating and displaying colorful art and messages of hope and healing. The Stars of HOPE® Box of HOPE program allows anyone, any age to express their compassion through creativity and connect to people in need of hope anywhere in the world. For more information, to volunteer, donate, or sponsor a project, please visit www.starsofhopeusa.org

Stars of HOPE® is a registered trademark of New York Says Thank You Foundation.

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Stars of HOPE®

Stars of HOPE®

The Stars of HOPE program utilizes the latest scientific findings in positive psychology and heroism science to bring healing, growth, and resiliency to a world thirsty for loving kindness. The guiding principle behind Stars of HOPE is producing heroic transformation in people through their participation in compassion based community healing. There is no organization more effective in converting despair into love, loss into recovery, and tragedy into triumph. Through connective volunteerism and social transformation, the Stars of HOPE showcases the power of love and service in cultivating the best of humanity. -Professor Scott T. Allison Professor of Psychology at the University of Richmond

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