The Art of Volunteering
Community & Collaboration
The team at With a Net has proudly volunteered for numerous worthy causes. Showcased here is our favorite not for profit organization with whom we have been involved with for almost a decade. Portraits of Hope, founded by visionary brothers Ed and Bernie Massey, consistently thinks out of the box for ways to beautify communities, bringing people together for art and education, and putting smiles on the faces of hospitalized children and adults. It is art by the community for the community. This visionary organization, created and led by these two tirelessly committed and passionate men, literally leaves a rainbow of color and thousands of smiles wherever they go. Here are a few of the projects we volunteered for with Portraits of Hope. We encourage you to take the time and visit Portraits of Hope to see how you too can get involved.
Spheres of Influence
For the “Spheres at MacArthur Park,” it was artist Ed Massey’s dream to uplift the image of a long forgotten yet iconic part of Los Angeles. Becoming a haven for homeless, the park’s once picturesque lake had lost its luster. We helped Ed, Bernie and the rest of the Portraits of Hope volunteers fill Los Angeles’s eight-acre MacArthur Park lake with 3,000 brightly-colored inflated vinyl balls. Each sphere was hand-painted by volunteers with non-toxic paints. At the end of the exhibition the spheres were either recycled or donated to local schools and other interested organizations.
Making a Splash
From the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Malibu’s Zuma Beach, for one glorious summer vibrant art covered all 150 lifeguard towers of Los Angeles County coastline. Over 10,000 volunteers (like us!) worked tirelessly to bring the Massey brothers’ dream of a “Summer of Color — Lifeguard Towers of Los Angeles” to reality.
Portraits of Hope worked very closely with the County Department of Beaches and Harbors, the Coastal Commission as well as the governments of the numerous cities along the coast to achieve this monumental feat.
At the end of the summer, the painted panels were removed and many were sent around the country to beautify schools and areas struck by natural disasters.
Brightening Pet Adoption
This time the Masseys teamed up with Los Angeles County again to beautify every county animal shelter. Ed evolved the POH signature flowers into animal shaped and round substrates. These colorful figures, giant vinyl wraps, and more were applied inside and outside of the shelters. While we did not participate in the installation due to timing, we were eager participants for the preparation of the materials. Staff at the Carson shelter in particular confirmed there has been an uptick in awareness of their facility thanks to Portraits of Hope. To adopt a pet from a county shelter, you can view their available animals here.
“Very proud to have so many wonderful opportunities to work hand-in-hand with Armella and With a Net. I am truly grateful and inspired by them and hope to continue working together for years to come.”
—Ed Massey, painter, sculptor, and creator & co-founder of Portraits of Hope