On Sunday July 28, The Messy Artist art studio was transformed for a unique event. The easels and paint – gone. The paper and clay – gone. Summer camp and birthday party supplies – also gone. All were moved out of the way so that the American Red Cross could set up their equipment for a blood drive.
“This is our first blood drive and we are thrilled with the way it has turned out,” says Donna Bernstein, creator and CEO of The Messy Artist. “We moved to this location in East Hanover last summer and have been wanting to do a blood drive ever since. It’s been fantastic to see our students’ families and the community come in and be so generous to donate blood.”
Donors came from all over the local area to donate: Millburn (Bernstein’s home town), Parsippany, Summit, Bloomfield, Chatham, Nutley, East Hanover and Orange were a few of the towns represented.
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“We put out art supplies so kids could be entertained while their parents donated blood, and local merchants donated coupons so that we were able to provide a gift bag to each donor. Godfather’s Brick Oven Pizza and Philly Pretzel Factory of Livingston each donated food for today, so the donors had a nice meal or snack to enjoy after giving blood, ” added Bernstein.
The Messy Artist hosts community service events every season. In June, they hosted a drop-in and play fundraiser for one of their students and kidney disease research. To learn more about upcoming community service projects, please visit The Messy Artist webpage (themessyartist.com) or follow them on facebook.
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