Project highlight
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In 2021, the City of St Cloud worked in partnership with local artist Sarah Drake (herARTS in Action), the Sauk River Watershed District (SRWD), a MN Department of Health Source Water Protection Grant, and the community to launch the Storm Drain Art Program. With over 8,000 storm drains in the City, it is important to generate awareness about protecting our waterways, creating a heathier community and making the connection of storm water to our drinking water source, the Mississippi River. The Storm Drain Art Program complements the City's Adopt-A-Drain Program where residents adopt storm drains to keep them clear of sediment, trash, yard waste and debris to reduce water pollution. Sarah and students painted four murals in 2021, and another four in 2022. One mural is confirmed for 2023, with multiple pending.
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mission statement
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herARTS in Action is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2011, awarded status in 2014, and in 2018 obtained NGO status in Burkina Faso. The mission of herARTS in Action is to create an equitable world through increased access and social justice with art. We achieve this by producing art, facilitating art experiences, and selling artwork that educates on global topics, creates social change, and funds sustainability projects globally and locally.
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The vision is that herARTS in Action contributes to,
1) sustainable socioeconomic status, including education, employment, and health, for women and girls based on the stated need and desires of the people and in a manner respectful of the culture, 2) educational success for children by providing supplies needed in and outside the classroom, and 3) nontraditional access to visual art for those most marginalized to attain art skills and experiences. |
burkina faso
Burkina Faso is a tiny, land-locked country in West Africa. Our goal is for all people to have access to clean water, sanitation, and education to improve their quality of life. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the impact that lack of access creates.
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minnesota
Minnesota is one of the highest-performing states in education- if you're a white student. Our programs enhance and enrich learning opportunities that are youth-led and directed to ensure their needs are met.
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Our founder Sarah Drake took her first trip to the African continent in the summer of 2011 as an inspired artist. The women and children in the village of Tiébélé, Burkina Faso, West Africa inspired her to collaborate with them to fundraise for projects that will lead to health, education, and sustainable economic status. The fabulous people were enough for Sarah to take action, but her determination for success also came from a dose of survivor guilt. She survived an illness that (at that time) killed 25,000 children under the age of 5 every year in the country, all because she had access to healthcare that the locals didn't. This compelled Sarah to use her artwork as an education tool and fundraiser. She created herARTS in Action when she returned to the United States because existing organizations were not working in that region, and they weren't willing to, as a working single mom and from the living room floor of her one-bedroom apartment. The money raised by selling her art, plus fundraisers, fund access to clean water, sanitation, and education in Burkina Faso, and has since expanded to education in Sierra Leone and the visual arts in Minnesota.
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Email: herartsinaction@yahoo.com
Mail: P.O. Box 414, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379 Social media: @herartsinaction #artinaction #waterinaction Phone: 320-200-9688 |