Call for Artists: Memory Box Program

Hello. My name is Gloria Benaroch-Garland. I live in Sea Bright, NJ and volunteer for the Memory Box Artist Program. I have been honored to have sent several of my boxes to local hospitals right here in New Jersey, New York area.

Example Memory Box Painted by Juanita

About the Memory Box Artist Program...

The Memory box Artists Program, Inc. started in 1998 as a volunteer program that would provide boxes for families of infants that pass away in the hospital.

The memory box is a way to represent that child’s life; it is also a way to ensure that families leave with a tangible link to their child. The memory box can be used to save those mementos that represent their child’s life, no matter how brief.

In 2003 The Memory box Artists Program, Inc, became a registered California Non Profit Corporation Organization. It is still an all-volunteer program with volunteers representing every state in the US and every province in Canada. Currently 681 hospitals participate in the program with many more on a waiting list. There are still not enough volunteer decorative artists to fill current demands.

Example Memory Box Painted by Catherine LaPointe

If you are creative and would like a way to express your creativity and give to others at the same time, this program may be for you. There are as many ways to create a memory box as there are individuals that make them, such as stamping, scrap-booking, decoupage, painting, one stroke, colored pencils, watercolor, or crayons.

You don’t have to be an artist to do this; you just need the desire to reach beyond yourself. You can go on the website at www.memoryboxes.org, where you can learn about the program’s history, how you can participate, and see examples of boxes. You can also contact me at, gloria@gloriab.com.

Example Memory Box Painted by Cheryl Buotte Hopkinson

I will be happy to talk/email with you and answer any questions you might have and to share my own experience with the program.

What makes this program so perfect is that it fits today’s lifestyles. You can make as many boxes as you want, as often as you like. There are no commitments you must fulfill. You are free to choose when to create a box and how often. You can either make your own boxes or buy already made boxes. Most craft stores carry ready-made boxes and all the supplies you might need. One box will impact a family, and like a pebble in the water, it will continue to touch others long after it has been received. I hope this blog has piqued your curiosity and touched your heart.