Press Releases  |  In The News  |  Awards/Recognition  |  People Are Saying  |  Contact

Press Releases back to listings 

Winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund - August 19, 2008
Sharon DeNault Honored with $5,000 Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund Award
August 19, 2008

West Chester, Pennsylvania Resident Wins Cash Award To Support Art Therapy Program For Femail Cancer Patients And Survivors


(New York, NY, August 19, 2008) - West Chester, Pennsylvania resident Sharon DeNault, 58, is one step closer to fulfilling her dream of creating a better tomorrow for her community. Sharon was named this week’s winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, a weekly $5,000 cash award program from Avon Products, Inc. to support individuals in their work to empower women. She is the eighth recipient of a Hello Tomorrow Fund award in Pennsylvania and was selected by a newly expanded panel of judges that now includes Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York and actress Phylicia Rashad. Sharon will use her award to produce a fund raising calendar for the Art Therapy Support Group, a program that Sharon created for cancer patients and survivors to use art and photography as a creative outlet. Funds will also go towards art supplies and on-going costs of running the support group.

The side effects of cancer treatment are not only physical, but deeply emotional as well. Sometimes, words aren’t enough to express one’s pain and anger after being diagnosed with cancer. Sharon, a cancer survivor herself, has been on leave for the past year from her art therapy position while battling the disease. She started the Art Therapy Support Group one year ago along with Marge Lang, a social worker affiliated with Chester County Hospital, and a cancer survivor as well. What began as a four-person group more than doubled in less than a year to 13 women from varying ages and backgrounds with one common thread: the need to express themselves through art to let go of anger, pain, sadness and confusion associated with their cancer diagnosis. The group meets one night each week and creates art through various mediums such as drawing, painting and photography. Sharon has also arranged for art shows where the women can showcase their work, which also gives them an exciting goal to meet.

Sharon spent much of her career counseling women and children dealing with sexual trauma and domestic violence. She saw the positive benefits when her patients would tap into their creative sides as a safe way of expressing themselves about the pain and loss they were feeling. Sharon used art during her sessions and feels that talk therapy, combined with creativity is an excellent way to move past a traumatic life experience. When she had to stop working full time due to her own battle with cancer, Sharon wanted to volunteer her time to help other women who were going through similar experiences. That is where the idea for the Art Therapy Support Group came from. Through support from the Chester County Hospital and the Chester County Art Association, the group received funding and art supplies, but by fall of 2008, those funds and supplies will be depleted. That is where the Hello Tomorrow Fund can help.

Sharon will use the Hello Tomorrow Fund award to help fund a calendar produced by the members of the Art Therapy Support Group. The calendar will educate the community about the effects of cancer on a woman’s life through black and white photographs taken by each member of the group. The Hello Tomorrow funds and the proceeds from the calendar will not only help to sustain the program, but also hopefully enable them to take on more members. Sharon says, “It is my dream that the group will continue to flourish and help other survivors realize that, despite the physical ravages of cancer, a person’s spirit is indomitable and that art leaves a legacy that lasts well beyond a person’s lifetime.” Thanks to the Hello Tomorrow Fund, Sharon will be closer to making her dream a reality.

Sharon’s winning application to the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund met the criteria of clearly presenting unique and achievable objectives to empower women or girls and ultimately improve society. It was selected from a pool of strong contenders by an expert panel of judges, including personal finance expert, Suze Orman, actress Phylicia Rashad and Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York. “Using art therapy to help cancer survivors heal is a fantastic method of self expression,” noted judge Lynn Stekas of Sharon’s proposal. “I suspect the art in tandem with traditional therapy will be fabulous for the women.”

back to listings