Out of disaster, comes life and opportunity. And Sunshine & Smiles Kits.

None of us living in Western NC will ever be able to adequately express our gratitude for all of you who have made sure we were ok after Tropical Storm Helene. You showed us your caring and love by checked in on us, making donations, sending bottled water, and helping replenish our lost wildlife art supplies. Thank you for being there for us!

And we are resilient! As are our communities. 

We jumped right in to do what we could to help the kids in our communities!

Red Wolves & Box Turtles in the Shelter

“It’s so great to be doing art again,” the little boy in the disaster shelter exclaims as he learns about box turtles and decorates cardboard turtle shells. As soon as the roads were cleared of downed trees and floodwaters, Champions for Wildlife visited the shelter with wildlife art supplies. 

We met the mom of a large family who shared her harrowing rescue experience through the flood waters of the Pacolet River. She was so appreciative of everything being done for their family and was happy her kids had some wildlife art to do at the shelter.

The kids pass around fossilized turtle shells as they learn about box turtles and decorate their own shells. The next day, it’s Red Wolves, and they carve wolf heads in round clay medallions, which the kids get to keep. 

Bringing Sunshine & Smiles

SAnd out of that shelter experience, the Sunshine & Smiles wildlife art kits were born. Giving kids impacted by the storm art supplies and activities to learn about protecting wildlife, empowers them to make a difference despite the devastation.

The first round of Sunshine & Smiles Kits are backpacks that include wildlife coloring pages, activity sheets, crayons, colored pencils, nature journal sketchbooks, and wiki sticks. And if you don’t know what a wiki stick is, you’re not alone, but kids sure do. They are waxed yarn sticks that form shapes, such as wild animals like spiders and bears!

Several weeks after Helene hit, our Education Manager, Alexis Hinchliffe, delivered 100 kits to the temporary home of Fernleaf Charter School whose school was destroyed by the storm. Below is a photo of the kits waiting for students returning to their new classrooms.

In response to all who have asked how you can help…

The needs in Western North Carolina are great and there are many important causes to support. We are focused on helping kids heal from the trauma of the storm in the way we know best – through art.

Nature can be destructive, as seen with Hurricane Helene, but Mother Nature also helps heal by reducing stress and anxiety while fostering a feeling of normalcy. And our kids need normal right now. Creating art about nature can be particularly healing. Children can express their emotions, regain a sense of control, and find beauty in their surroundings after witnessing so much destruction.

For the second round of Sunshine & Smiles Kits, we provided over 500 wrapped kits with a Red Wolf theme. These special holiday kits were delivered to kids impacted by the storm, foster children and to other children in need, some who may only receive this one wrapped gift for the holidays.

Because the response was so positive, we are continuing the program into 2025 and will be giving kids in need kits during the summer when school is out and they don’t have access to art supplies. 

So here’s how you can help…

• Make a donation: For every $15, another kit will be put into the hands of a child.

• Buy from the Amazon Wishlist: These are items needed to go into the kits and for our Wild for Art programs.

All donations up to $5,000 will be matched thanks to a very generous donor!

The kits cost $15 each, and there is already a need for 1,000 more kits! Your support will have a big impact and we are grateful for whatever you can donate.

Thank you again for your support!