Little Hart took hold when I was in the foster parent training program, where I learned that children of the foster care system are often picked up by authorities in the middle of the night and given nothing more than a black trash bag for their belongings. For these children, that early imprint of unworthiness is damaging. They need to feel that some things are special…that they are special. They need to be reignited with the wonder of life. In a small way, I thought, wonder could help ALL kids feel they belong…that their belongings matter…that they matter. Belonging to wonder connects us to the healing power of creativity and the curative peace of nature. And…the Wonder Box was born!
Little Hart really began with my grandmother. She grew up along the Little Heart River on the plains of North Dakota. She was a pioneer. An advocate. A lover of nature. An artist. Most of her days were spent outdoors fishing, hunting or gardening. She never came home without a pocket full of rocks. She taught my mom to love nature and to pass it on. When the tiny town they lived in needed a school, Gram petitioned the state to build one, and Little Heart School was built. My mom started kindergarten there! The one room school house still stands today as a testimony to life as it use to be, connected to the land. My grandmother taught me to wonder. She taught me to appreciate nature, life and laughter. I spent much time outdoors with her, inspired by the beauty. I learned to love the prairie she called home. When I became an artist, I painted from that love. As I ponder the condition of life today and the struggles our children have with a deficit of nature, I think of her. She keeps telling me, “you can do it…even a little does a lot”. Little Hart is born of her. I dedicate my efforts to making a little difference in the creative wonder of the lives of this new generation, to her… and my mom, who passed it on.
Our board members …
Madi Adams, Founder/Executive Director, Port Angeles,WA
Randy Adams, Marketing Director, Port Angeles,WA
Jennifer Satterlee, PR Director, Seattle, WA
Nancy Longmire, Outreach Director, Vashon, WA
Lisa Mattox, Project Director, Asheville, NC
