Eva's Panes: Art Helping Healing at CCMC

Art has the power to heal. Creative activities can relieve stress, aid communication, and help arrest cognitive decline.* Now, an inspiring teen and a local Connecticut business are combining forces and empowering art to promote healing in a whole new way.

In December 2017, right before Christmas, 15-year-old Ava was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia -- a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Ava and her family entered a fight with the disease that they’re still in the midst of today.

Throughout their fight, Mark LaVoie, whose daughter is best friends with Ava, was inspired by her strength. He realized that his family-owned-and-operated company, Advanced Window Systems, LLC, (AWS) could do something to help children and families like Ava’s... and Ava’s Panes came to life.

Old Windows With a New Purpose

LaVoie decided to create a community where people can revive old panes of glass removed from houses and turn them into new art -- with the ultimate goal of sharing a portion of their proceeds to support Ava’s Wish List for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC).

According to Ava’s mother, who maintains a Facebook page called AvaStrong & Teen/Young Adult Wish List for CCMC Oncology, “CCMC has been so incredible with providing their patients with gifts of comfort, and activities that help make their hospital stay more comfortable. However, the teen and young adult population have different likes and interests than young children. Ava, being a teen, would like to give to hospitalized teens and young adults, and make their stay a little more comfortable and fun. She has made a list of items that can be purchased on Amazon.” They also welcome gift cards to Netflix, Au Bon Pain, and Starbucks.

Creating to Give Back

The success of Ava’s Panes hinges on finding individuals who have the vision and the energy to turn old window panes into works of art. Are you up to the challenge? AWS will provide window sashes for artists to paint, decoupage, and just plain fancy up in exchange for a promise. They ask that you donate a small portion of the sale of your art to Ava’s Wish List for CCMC through their GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/ava039s-panes.

The panes are also available to those who want them for their own personal use, but the promise and the hope remain the same -- donate to Ava’s Wish List.

Spreading the Word

AWS has just started towards their ambitious goal of $20,000. Aside from personal outreach, they plan on spreading the message of Ava’s Panes and Ava's Wish List for CCMC -- and the artists helping the cause -- on their website and through a number of local television shows, like Better Connecticut and CT Style. Artists like Candace Nystrom are excited about the project. “I’m so happy to participate as it’s such a worthy cause. Doing a painting for ‘Ava’s Panes’ gives me great pleasure to share my love of painting and to help Ava and her family.”

If you’d like to get involved, have questions, or would like a sash, please contact Trish or Mark at 860-829-8044 or email info@advancedwindowsystems.com. If you’d like to support Ava’s Panes with a donation, gifts can be made through GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/ava039s-panes.

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To learn more about what's happening in Connecticut's creative community, visit allthingsartct.com. We're social, too! Follow us on Facebook or Instagram: @allthingsartct.

*Excerpt from The Healing Power of Art, Harvard Health Women’s Watch, July 2017 https://www.health.harvard.edu...