By Arianna Ross | Founder & CEO
As we reflect on the close of 2025, we are filled with gratitude for you, our GlobalGiving partners. Because of your generosity, children, youth, and adults across our region experienced learning, healing, and growth through the power of the arts. Together, we strengthened literacy & STEM learning, supported positive mental health, and expanded access to opportunity—laying the groundwork for an even more impactful 2026.
Below are highlights from three core Story Tapestries initiatives you helped make possible this year.
Write Your Story: Building Voice, Joy and Early Learning
Through Write Your Story, we reached 875 young children, family members and educators across early childhood classrooms, bringing music, movement, storytelling, and visual art directly into learning environments. Teaching artists worked side-by-side with educators to strengthen emergent literacy, STEM, social-emotional learning, and motor skills—especially for children navigating poverty, multilingual learning, or developmental delays.
Educators consistently reported increased confidence, engagement, and expressive language among their students. One teacher shared:
“The sessions really brought kids out of their shells. I see them more confident now, which will help in kindergarten next year.”
Families were also part of the journey. Art & learning kits extended creativity into homes, with caregivers reporting that children were eager to keep drawing, singing, and storytelling together. 100% of caregivers surveyed said their child enjoyed using the art kits and learned something new, reinforcing that learning doesn’t stop at the classroom door.
Highlight Reel - https://bit.ly/WYSVideo_2024-25
CHART: A Path to Positive Mental Health
In a year marked by stress and uncertainty, CHART provided adolescents and educators with creative tools to process emotions, build resilience, and strengthen connections. Through songwriting, poetry, movement, and visual art, youth explored self-expression in supportive, trauma-informed spaces.
The impact was clear:
One student reflected simply but powerfully:
“It was fun—but it also helped me with my stress.”
Highlight Reel - https://bit.ly/CHART_202425
Digital Solutions: Bridging the Digital Divide and Expanding Opportunity
Your support also powered Digital Solutions, helping adults and youth gain essential digital and workforce readiness skills. Participants learned everything from basic computer navigation and photography to resume building, LinkedIn, and interview preparation—often for the first time.
Results exceeded expectations:
As one participant shared:
“I went from being afraid of technology to being curious. Now I feel empowered.”
Highlight Reel - https://bit.ly/DigitalSolutionsVideo_2024-25
With Gratitude—and Hope for 2026
As the year comes to a close, we want to wish you Happy Holidays and extend our heartfelt thanks for all you made possible in 2025. Your belief in arts-centered solutions helped children find their voices, supported mental wellness, and opened doors to opportunity for individuals and families.
We are excited to build on this momentum and look ahead to an even more impactful 2026—continuing to partner with communities to create learning, healing, and hope through the arts.
From all of us at Story Tapestries: thank you for being part of this story.
Links:
By Lorienne Beals | Vice President of Story Tapestries, Inc.
By Jamie Cowan | Early Childhood Directory
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