Articles
National Endowment for the Arts: My Art Story
My name is Biviana Franco. If you were to look at how busy, full and often crazy my life is, you might be tempted to ask me, “Is it worth it?” But there are two things that drive me: A love for people, and a love for seeing how art helps and heals others. My background is in art. I started my degree at a university in Colombia and then finished at AIU in America. I spent five years studying classical art with Chris diDomizio. I’ve taught art to students and volunteered my skills at both The Ronald McDonald House and The Foundation For Hospital Art. All those things led me to my present, which is being the president and founder of the nonprofit Feel Beautiful Today.
When my close friends were diagnosed with cancer, my immediate response was art. Somehow giving each of them hand-made jewelry was a tangible way I could say, “I’m here; I love you; I support you.” It was this tangible gift of hope and encouragement that served as the catalyst for Feel Beautiful Today. Suddenly, a desire to bring the love and encouragement I had given my friends through art blossomed into a realization that this was a very practical way to reach other women and girls affected by cancer, and thus Feel Beautiful Today was born.
We started out small: a couple events here and there with people coming to make pieces of jewelry that would be delivered to cancer patients in local hospitals. The vision then expanded to providing workshops for patients themselves in the hospitals and cancer centers. This is when I fell in love. This is what I was born to do. To watch as patients who come in with a blank expression, their body language showing they are clearly in pain, leave our workshops smiling and interacting with us and each other is nothing short of miraculous and every reason I could ever need to keep moving forward and exploring how we can continue to use art to bring hope, healing, and encouragement into the lives of women and girls battling cancer. Feel Beautiful Today now offers a third program which provides an opportunity for the hospital staff to create one half of a necklace that a patient then finishes and keeps, and hopefully, we will be rolling out a fourth program in the next two years.
When I committed my talents to be used for the benefit of others, I had no idea the journey it would take me on. Every day I wake up knowing my life is full of purpose, that the work that no one sees allows precious women to experience something that for a moment takes their mind off their cancer and reassures them they are stronger than they think. Designing the jewelry, setting up the meetings, dreaming of what comes next for Feel Beautiful Today could never compare to the satisfaction that comes from locking eyes with one of those precious women whose life is so beautifully impacted by art.
AJC: Affecting Change, One Bracelet at a Time
If you were to ask someone involved with Feel Beautiful Today what drives the organization, they would respond, “The patients.” While jewelry is the vehicle, hope is the engine. Hope is the single thread that can be traced all the way back to Feel Beautiful Today’s beginnings. If you were to ask a younger version of Biviana Franco if she thought she would ever be running a non-profit, her answer would be a strong no. But life has a funny way of shaping us and unveiling surprises even we could not imagine.
It all started with a cancer diagnosis for Bivi’s aunt and then two close friends. Concerning her emotions at that time, Bivi remembers, “I felt anyone can be in that position. Cancer touches you and the person you love. I really felt it was love and offering support that was going to help them through. It was a way to show them how much I love them. There’s nothing that can replace that human connection.” And thus a tiny seed of an idea was planted. If her friends found hope in a simple gesture of handmade jewelry, how many other women and girls struggling with the reality of cancer could positively be impacted by the same small gesture? And what started as the kindness of a friend grew into a vision for as many women as possible to experience hope in the midst of a cancer diagnosis. Feel Beautiful Today was born.
Officially started in September of 2010, Feel Beautiful Today consisted of Bivi and some close friends volunteering their time and support. The first event held by FBT was in a friend’s studio with 7 people. Thinking back on the event, Bivi recalls, “I didn’t have a plan, but I just wanted to open the opportunity to others to do something for someone they love who was affected by cancer.” With the first event a success, Feel Beautiful Today began to take shape as more workshops were held and opportunities opened to work with local hospitals and cancer institutes. Some of these included Egleston and Dekalb Medical. Perhaps the largest milestone for FBT is when it officially became a non-profit. In August of 2011, FBT received its designation as a 501(c)(3), and since then, has created two more programs and formed partnerships with 15 beneficiaries comprised of children’s hospitals, hospitals, and cancer institutes in the Atlanta area.
So what is it exactly that FBT does? Operating under the mission statement “providing love, hope and encouragement to women and girls affected by cancer through Arts in Health programs,” FBT offers programs that bring handmade jewelry to patients and survivors free of charge. But it’s not just about the jewelry. It’s about providing a program that physiologically and emotionally benefits the participants. Taking part in a FBT workshop provides a valuable space for patients to experience community, to know they are not alone in their fight. It provides an opportunity to physically and mentally relax and begin to process emotionally what may be hard to say with words. It improves their mood and shows them that they can accomplish something they put their mind to, a very important building block for the long road to recovery.
With three programs: one for patients, one for the medical staff, and one for the community, FBT not only seeks to meet women and girls where they are but also get the community involved in changing lives. Various charity leagues, businesses and individuals have all helped host “Boxes of Love” events where individuals hand make a bracelet and paint a decorated box with a message of hope inside that will later be delivered to cancer patients. These community events serve as the medium for FBT to continue to bring its programs, “Workshops with Patients” and “Joined in Hope,” to cancer patients free of charge. The money raised at community events all goes back into bringing more programs to those affected by cancer.
Since its conception, Feel Beautiful Today has impacted over 3,500 oncology patients’ lives. As for what is ahead, Bivi states, “Feel Beautiful Today doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to the hospitals and cancer centers that need it. Wherever there is a need is where we want to be.” With expanded vision, Feel Beautiful Today is constantly growing and maturing into an organization that can handle the future. But more than anything, it is dependent on the support of compassionate individuals and groups that believe in and support its mission. From hosting a Boxes of Love event, to volunteering time in the studio, to giving financially, there is a place for everyone to get involved. If you are interested in helping Feel Beautiful Today bring hope to women and girls affected by cancer, please visit http://www.feelbeautifultoday.org.