About

I am a local artist and the founder of Art for Aid (artforaid.ca), a not-for-profit project that sends art supplies to resource challenged Indigenous schools in Canada. I created Art for Aid in 2013 to meet an impressive shortfall of quality art learning tools and have added a winter landbased learning support initiative to this. We collect new and gently used art supplies at our small warehouse in Carleton Place. We test the items to ensure they are of good quality, then we box and distribute them to the schools who need them.

Art for Aid is entirely volunteer run and there is no charge for our services to the schools we serve. We raise our own funds and we are not federally subsidised. So how do we make the money to cover the expensive shipping costs? We accept monetary donations through our host agency, Soaring Circle (soaringcircle.ca) and we set up at events with our beautiful fundraising items.

We also run a Shopify to help with fundraising. I am also an Art for Aid volunteer and generate personal income by selling my original artwork at The Art Hub in Carleton Place. (colleengrayart.ca)

I believe in the power of art to support positive mental health, break isolation and invite critical thinking for youth who often struggle with the effects of poverty and the emotional legacy of intergenerational trauma.

Accomplishments of note:

Awarded the Governor General of Canada Sovereign Medal for Volunteering - 2019
Awarded the Rotary Club's Paul Harris Award for my work with Art for Aid - 2023

Art for Aid supports resource challenged Educators in remote community through access to art supplies and ice fishing gear for winter land based learning programs.