How We Make a Difference

By Joan Applebaum, National Art Chair

A few years back, the Central New York Branch sponsored an art and poetry contest with several categories for students and adults. We often lamented about the amount of work it took to run the contest, which culminated in an awards ceremony with art on display and poets reading their winning poems as family, friends, and teachers beamed with pride.

And then a card arrived from a local art teacher sharing that the award given to her student had been life-changing. This young woman had a difficult home life and had no support or encouragement for her artistic efforts. At school, she was shy and withdrawn. But after receiving her award and the recognition that goes with it, she became more confident and happier and carried herself with pride.

That brought tears to my eyes. And I realized that yes, it was worth all the effort, and our contest continued for several more years.

That first thank you-note made a real impact on me, and years later I am still touched when I receive a note from an award winner. Recently, I received an email from our 2023 Mature Woman Grant winner, Nikki Painter. I shared it with my grant panel as they had done so much of the work in wading through numerous grant proposals.

“Thank you again for awarding me with a Mature Woman Grant for 2023,” she wrote. “I was able to do a residency at VCCA this September, and it was a really important step for me. I could not have done this without the support of the grant.”

I know that many Pen Women branches receive recognition for the community outreach they do as part of our NLAPW mission. Those emails, cards, and hugs of gratitude remind us of how important our outreach is and what a difference we can make in people’s lives. Keep up the good work, NLAPW!