The voting period will close on June 30, 2026. Submission Theme Prompt: “Hope in Bloom”
Check out the virtual art gallery below and cast your vote in the Gift of Life Howie’s House’s 3rd annual Strokes of Kindness Art Contest & Fundraiser. Each gift of $5 will count for 1 vote. The artist with the most votes at the end of the voting period (June 30, 2026) will win the contest. No limit on votes. All proceeds will benefit the Adopt-A-Family Program to continue providing transplant families with an affordable home away from home during the transplant journey.
Vote for your favorite submissions!
Grace Demore
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I am a volunteer ambassador for Gift of Life and I believe that organ donation provides hope and improves the lives of recipients. My son was a donor in 2023
Rachel Bello-Eoi
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This drawing depicts a girl posed as a statue, standing still as the world around her moves fast. Like a statue she is stuck in the waiting period, as she awaits for a new hope. As she waits, the light that peaks through represents her new life with her new organ. She now blooms in her new life as she radiates hope in all she does.
Elaine Rosenberg
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My daughter was gifted a double lung transplant January of 2026. This painting was done in acrylic. The painting is a representation of her and our family’s healing journey. Every year the trees grow stronger. Their beauty is a testament of home for all.
Kelly Brown
“Hope on the Horizon”
My 17-year-old son Matthew received a heart transplant when he was five. We have spent many nights at Howie’s House over the past twelve years. It is our home away from home! The tree represents the patience and perseverance of waiting for a transplant. The window to the clouds represents the dream of a new life that sometimes seems impossibly out of reach. The blooming flowers represent the hope and beauty that come forth out of tragedy and loss. The lungs, heart, liver and kidney in the clouds are a distant hope on the horizon, and that hope comes to fruition in the blossoming flowers.
Dulce Perla
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Steven Anderson
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I am a lung transplant recipient I am 65 years old, and I am very excited to talk to people about my transplant to help them before and after transplant at Howie’s House I painted this with watercolors to symbolize the organ donation tree. That is a bloom of Hope.
Mindy Ritzman
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My submission is a diamond art piece featuring dandelions alongside the words, “Just breathe.”
To me, Hope in Bloom represents a season of healing, renewal, and spiritual growth in the Lord Jesus Christ. Flowers blooming in spring and summer remind us that God brings restoration and new life after difficult seasons, calling us to slow down, trust in Him, and find peace in His presence. Psalm 46:10 especially comes to mind: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Through this piece, I wanted to capture the beauty of surrendering our worries to the Lord, breathing deeply, and finding hope in the renewal He brings to our lives.