Stars of Hope and MAAT Collaboration

I am the president of the Michigan Association of Art Therapy we are a group working towards networking opportunities for art therapy professionals and educating the public about art therapy. Our efforts have been focused on Legislation to pass licensure for art therapists in the state of Michigan.

In November of 2021 during the first 2 months of being elected into the president role. Tragedy hit a community neighboring the town I grew up in. Oxford was devastated by a mass school shooting. MAAT partnered with Stars of Hope and Village of Oxford to collaborate on a community art response. MAAT began providing monthly drop in groups at Evergreen Coffee for 12 months. We set up opportunities for the community to come together and receive sheets with mental health resources as well as provide space to process using art opportunities and the Stars of Hope model. MAAT wanted to make sure art therapists were at the heart of the community art reach efforts.

We worked with Ashley Ross the Director of Michigan Humanities to get a grant for a community structure to display the stars creating a space in the farmers market area for reflections of hope. Thank you to my mother Jackie Paradise for helping drive and hang the Stars and coming to several of the Evergreen Events.