Jun 30, 2017

Lending Our Artistic Talents to Our Beloved Community

Icebox Gives Back: Bringing Our Colorful Spirit to Emory Hospital

Hey there! It’s Ping. I’m going to be honest with you—business is booming at The Icebox. We’re slinging swag for some of the best brands in the world, and we couldn’t be prouder. But not for the reasons you might think.

Sure, it’s great to be the mascot for a successful company, and we’re thrilled to keep growing our customer base. But do you want to know what the best part of our success has been? Giving back. We’re so humbled and honored by the opportunities we have to give back to the community that built us—the community we love with all our hearts.

Our customers know us well—we’re a colorful bunch at The Icebox, and a huge part of what makes us special is our creativity and artistic talent. So when we came across the opportunity to work with The Foundation for Hospital Art and its annual PaintFest, we jumped at it and sent a team to Winshipcancer.emory.edu- Emory Hospital.

Visiting a hospital can a very stressful experience. It’s a sterile, often cold environment where you typically see white walls, illuminated by harsh fluorescent lighting. But in 1975, a volunteer at Northside Hospital named John Freight had a vision to give patients, visitors, and hospital staff a more comforting, meaningful experience by adorning the hospital walls with beautiful artwork. By 1984, The Foundation for Hospital Art was born.

This organization gets patients, staff, and volunteers around the world together to create paintings for hospitals. These works of art warm the cold atmosphere to bring some peace and comfort in an otherwise tense setting. John Feight’s son Scott now carries on his father’s legacy as Executive Director, and more than one million volunteers have created upwards of 44,000 paintings for more than 4,000 hospitals.

Scott believes in the power of art to heal and soothe. “If you have been recently diagnosed with cancer, it’s a significant moment in your life,” he says. “Art allows you to express what you’re going through in a helpful and impactful way.” It was Scott’s idea to hold PaintFest—a campaign to paint murals in 50 states over 50 Days. That’s one mural a day! The Icebox Team participated earlier this year at the local event, held at Winshipcancer.emory.edu-Emory Hospital.

We were honored to join this worthy cause and lend our creative abilities to the community in such a meaningful way. We encourage all our friends to learn more about The Foundation for Hospital Art and its mission.