Written by Alanna Carr and originally published in 2018
I had the privilege to interview Dana Shalit, Director of Artbound, a Toronto-based charity whose slogan is “where art does good” and whose mandate is to fund art-inspired programs in Canada and all over the world.
As someone who is dedicated to inspiring children and letting them know that they are seen and powerful, Artbound’s mandate and latest project fills my heart with joy, and I was very excited to reconnect with my friend to really find out what drives her and her team.
Dana and the team at Artbound are hard at work planning and organizing the execution of their latest project in Kabayi, Haiti. Haiti is a country that has seen numerous upheavals throughout its history. The Haitian people have endured slavery, occupation, coup d’états, unfathomable natural disasters such as the 2010 earthquake that resulted in a death toll in the hundreds of thousands, the displacement of over a million citizens and more recently, a cholera outbreak due to contaminated water supply.
You may remember that Haiti was all over the news in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, which galvanized humanitarian aid from around the world. However, as the news cycle tired of the ongoing plight of the Haitian people, it moved on to the next sensational or outrageous news story and the world moved on assuming that Haiti had recovered. Unfortunately, the country had not recovered and then in 2016, was hit by Hurricane Matthew, and once again the destruction was devastating.
One of the many impacts that result from a lack of solid, working infrastructure is that the education of children is stymied, and instead the children are sent to work to help provide for their families, resulting in an accepted practice of child slave labour throughout the country. The US Department of Labor cited a 2015 study which found that there are approximately 286,000 child domestic workers in Haiti and the majority or 207,000 were lagging behind in school. What shocks me the most is that we are so oblivious to the situation in Haiti especially since the other half of the island in which Haiti is situated is a country that is one of the most popular resort destinations in the Caribbean: The Dominican Republic!
Artbound has partnered with WE charity on the ground in Haiti to build a new school that will service a thousand girls and boys from kindergarten to grade 9. The area chosen was already taking steps to improve their community and due to the need, became the location for the school. They already had a piece of land donated and community members were collecting donations and saving money each month. One year ago, Dana and her team knew that this was going to be an unbelievable project when they went to visit and saw the current conditions. “They had a one room school house with a corrugated steel roof that was full of holes, with 200 children going to school. Several hundred children didn’t get to go to school because they had to cross the river and kids were literally dying” she told us.
Artbound has been fundraising for the past year raising $650,000 bringing them to 2/3 of their goal. Thanks to these donations, they will be breaking ground on the school in November. In looking at all that the people of Haiti are facing, I asked Dana why teaching art and music is important. Her answer blew me away by cutting straight to the heart of the human experience: “We focus on what’s important what will help break the cycle of poverty which is education. So, a lot of our projects we focus on education but we put art and a creative perspective into it. The whole idea behind it is that you can give people food, water and shelter but the will to live comes from creative expression. We don’t have to speak the same language but when we see a brush stroke or a piece of art we connect immediately. Art transcends all barriers and is an expression of self-actualization: this is my unique experience on this earth for you to see.”
At SynerG Media, when we find out about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, for no other reason than they can’t ignore their soul’s purpose, it is critical to us that we do our part in having their stories heard. Dana is a very successful businesswoman who has reached the top. She has what some would consider a glamorous life, splitting her time between Toronto and California, speaking to thousands at company conventions and is a top performer. I was curious to know what motivates her to take on doing this kind of work, and why she does what she does.
The passion in Dana’s voice is unmistakable when she answered: “It’s very addicting. I traveled a lot before I started going on volunteer trips. To have a really authentic, deep connected experience like not at an all-inclusive resort, but off the beaten path, I just think that there is nothing like the connections you make with people on the other side of the world. It is really humbling. Because I know this for a fact: traditional success does not mean you are happy, by any means. You can be at the top of your game and still feel like there is somewhere to get to. I think what makes people happy are connections, and being present in the moment. And that is what happens on these trips. I think people aren’t doing it because they don’t know how. They don’t know how to go on one of these trips and maybe they don’t know how good it feels because that’s what life is all about. Talk to people on the other side of the world who truly have nothing yet, they are way happier than us, that’s for sure. They are surrounded by family and community. They feel understood and gotten. And that’s what inspires me to keep participating as this is where I feel understood, language aside, you feel like they get you.”
It’s clear to me in speaking with Dana that connecting with people is really what drives her. It is what has her continue to grow and expand Artbound through all the struggles and uncertainties. Her words “I can’t even go deep enough to answer how it has transformed my life. I can’t imagine my life without it and it has given my life so much meaning every day” inspire me. Right there in that moment, I could feel her spirit speak to mine. As a social entrepreneur who is committed to train and develop children in the life skills of empathy, kindness and confidence, she left me with a sense of peace of knowing I am not alone … that doing your heart work is not always easy, yet it is the perseverance and the will to live your purpose that we choose to surrender too.
As Dana shared all of the aspects of her experiences, from the doubts and thoughts of closing Artbound down, to the children who inspire her courage, to the conviction and the love you can hear in her voice.
It is also why she knows she cannot do this on her own and that an army of Artbound heroes are needed. Artbound operates entirely on financial donations and the commitment of volunteers. Donations pay for the materials and professionals yet the project relies heavily on volunteers and continued community support. They are both equally important. For the readers out there looking for a way to give back, Dana has great advice: “Start small in any way you can whether it’s doing a clothing swap to raise funds for a charity you are passionate about, or go to the food bank and help package food items because there is always SO much to do. Jump in and celebrate that you are opening your heart and willing to give. And bring friends and do it again and again!”
She continued “For me, I started volunteering my time with Artbound 9 years ago. I was an event planner and organized and planned an event for free. I then continued to volunteer in all capacities alongside my friend, Zark Fatah, who is one of the original founders of Artbound.”
If you cannot fully grasp the essence and love in what Dana is sharing, take a look at the photos profiled in this article. Zark is a professional photographer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who captures the innocence in the eyes of these children. When you look at the photo of Dana, you can see her humility. I have to say, I have seen Dana dressed like a celebrity and for me, this photo that Zark took captures and reveals a beauty that you cannot put words too. If SynerG Media had it our way, we would do an entire magazine issue about the many projects of this organization. We would interview every volunteer, the board of directors and the children this project will impact. We asked Zark to share with us and he said “Dana is our powerhouse and has really made all of this possible. It is because of her commitment to Artbound that we have the opportunity to make the impact we are making around the world.” He goes on to say that the time in Haiti with the children, seeing and knowing them has given him and the entire team the power to make a positive change and that is what drives all of them to return in November to help build the school in Kabayi. He ended with “Despite the tragic conditions, the children are living in you can see hope in their eyes and we can definitely learn so much from them.”
This interview was food for my soul and I know my team and I will do our part, I am grateful to this organization who show these children that people do care. My favorite part of this conversation that I want to leave you with from Dana is this: “The children of Haiti need a lot of help but they have a lot of hope.” For more information about the Kabayi Project and how to get involved, visit www.artbound.ca.
