The Heliotrope Foundation

New day, a new little delight added to our ! ☀️

All good things begin with a vision. This is Swoon's vision of the spirit of Sanctuary Window - a place of growth and healing that rises up like a phoenix. Archival Pigment Print with Hand-Embellished details by Swoon. 13x19”. Limited edition of 10 copies. Hand numbered & signed by the artist.

A few have already been claimed, this one is sure to be sought after… Help us keep pushing our fundraising higher to do even more work to ready the church infrastructure to pass into the loving hands of 🤍

4 more days to go and we are more motivated than ever for this project!! Thanks everyone!! ❤️

🔥WE REACHED OUR 1ST GOAL!! 🔥
We are ecstatic over here that the outpouring of love and support for our project with reached our initial fundraising goal! So much love goes out to all of you with us on this. This means the world to us that we are well on our way to window replacements for the church and now we can keep pushing to do even more! There are even more windows on the alternate sides of the church and if we can keep stretching our fundraising in the remaining 5 days of the campaign, we can get all of those replaced, too!
What all of this means is that we are readying this beautiful piece of 1800s architecture to become a place where returning citizens, those coping with substance abuse issues trauma and other devastating life circumstances will come to transform their lives under the strong and compassionate guidance of Ronna Davis-Moore & the team. Their proven record of success with their housing programs is amazing and goes way beyond where other programs leave off. The passion and real lived experience of Ronna and her team inform their deep work with their residents. As the Braddock church passes into their hands to become the Sanctuary Community Center, this will open up new and greater channels for support programs, workshops that will enrich the community of North Braddock. The locals have already embraced and welcomed Donnelle’s Safe Haven with open arms and we are certain there is so much more to come with the Sanctaury.
Join us on this if you haven’t already!! And thanks so much from all of us. Let’s keep going!!
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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heliotrope/the-sanctuary-0/description

The Braddock Sanctuary will offer 3 fully furnished apartments for individuals and their families who are working with to regain strength and stability in their lives. For people re-entering society after incarceration, public programming is so often devoid of opportunity for families to reunite under the same roof. That’s one big element that sets apart & builds on their impressive success rate with their residents. Here are renderings of what 2 of those units will look like.
Once we get the church windows replaced, renovations can move in to the next phase.
We are just under $5k away from our $50k goal with 8 days to go! Let’s do this!!! 🔥🤍

Huge thanks to .svarups for the architectural renderings 😊

Here we have the stunning chamber that shall become the social hall of the Sanctuary community center in Braddock. The original architectural features are magnificent, with the vaulted ceilings and the large windows still include original stained glass paneling at their tops.
has created ornate stained glass designs for each of these windows & we’ve been able to fund one of the two on our thus far. We received a generous pledge of $10k to be the creator of this window & now we are looking for a second pledge to complete the set & put our fundraising campaign over the top. As the creator of this window, your name will be featured on the adjacent wall next to it & you will receive an original Swoon wheatpaste piece on a vintage reclaimed window that features her design.
With just over a week left to fund our campaign, we’re working hard to cross that finish line so can transform this beautiful old church into a place that will transform the lives of those deeply reaching for support in rebuilding their lives.
Help us get there! Visit the link in bio & scroll to the Creator of the Sanctuary Window reward for more detail. And thanks a million to everyone who has supported us so far in the project. It means the world to us! We are so close now! ✨

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heliotrope/the-sanctuary-0/description

There is not one but two large stained glass windows in the Braddock Church that are slated for custom designs by .. One on the Jones Avenue side & one on the Hawkins Avenue side. The motif pictured here will stream out with rays of colored light, strewn with flowers, butterflies & line work.
We have one generous supporter who claimed the reward to fund the first window, and now we are offering up the second! With your support of the window, it will feature your name on the church wall beside it. And you will receive this amazing one of a kind artwork made by Swoon. A collage of laser cut paper pieces & painted details, including a motif of the Braddock stained glass window on a vintage reclaimed window panel. Truly a special piece and if you claim it to be yours, we will be just pennies away from our $50k goal! DM for additional details, link in bio. We are getting SO close we can feel it! Help give us that push to get us all the way & spread the word if you can!

We’re adding to the bounty of rewards to our Sanctuary & we’ve been secretly excited about this one…
’s iconic print of Nee Nee is making a return to celebrate the transformation of the Braddock church into a place that will lift up the local community.

This one is extra special! A rare
✨SIGNED HELIOTROPE PRINT ✨by Swoon.
Limited Edition of 175
Hand numbered & signed, embossed with our logo
13x19” on Hahnmuele 210gsm fine art paper
$150

Swoon’s depiction of Nee Nee painting tiles amidst the Braddock Church architecture is richly layered with design elements from the church, hexagonal tiles, workers & houses from the community. A brilliant theme of creativity and revitalization that syncs beautifully with our project and the amazing work that does to help people rebuild their lives.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heliotrope/the-sanctuary-0/description

Aerial view of the Braddock Church! In Autumn 2021, the Heliotrope team confirmed the plan to pas the church on to ‘s hands. We started working with architectural teams including our own Konbit Shelter Director Joana Torres of .design & Jason Roth based in Braddock. The first stage of renovations to ready the church for Za’Kiyah House was to replace the roof..which we did in swift time over the winter!
Now that the roof is secured, we are steadily working on plans for phase two with the window replacements.
Guys, we are so overwhelmed and thankful for all of you generously supporting our & following the project thus far! We are 2/3 of our way to our initial $50k goal & we’re adding to the handcrafted rewards every couple of days. Stay tuned! There are new paper pieces by & more to come!

They’re heeeeerrrrree!!!!! Our super sweet sticker set with exclusive designs by &

An easy grab for $15 in helping us fit new windows into the Braddock Sanctuary… we are so excited about transforming the church into a place that will allow people to learn, grow & heal under the compassionate guidance of . Help us make this community center a reality while picking up this trio of mini artworks! Kickstarter link in our bio 🔥

Expertly printed by 🎞

A rendering of the stained glass window that has designed for the Sanctuary. Butterflies mingling amidst the dandelions & rays of light bursting upward. Her custom design will be built into the existing original stained glass framework, seen at the the top of the window. We are working with a local stained glass artist in Braddock, coupled with a fabrication specialist who will carry out the construction.
This is the prominent window in the main chamber of the Sanctuary, which is to be transformed into a social hall operated by . It will house community workshops & be available to rent for special events. We just know that this space will positively glow with light and energy once the renovations are made.

Visit our project via link in our bio to read more about the work & watch a special video with , & the Braddock church created by our dear friend . There are rewards at every price level so be sure to have a look through and see which one resonates with you! Shout out to everyone who has donated so far, we are off to a strong start & want to keep that momentum going solid all month! 🌈✊🏾

Tonight is the night!!
The Heliotrope Foundation cordially invites you to our night of art, music and conversation with Swoon and Ronna Davis-Moore from . Tonight marks the launch of our Kickstarter to raise funds for THE SANCTUARY: A community center addressing addiction, recidivism and homelessness serving Braddock, PA.
Please join us at .ART gallery in NYC from 6-9pm as we celebrate this special collaboration between Heliotrope and Za’Kiyah House in renovating the Braddock Church. Our KICKSTARTER launches at 5pm this evening and will run for the month of June as we aim to raise $50,000 to give the church a new set of windows. There are 38 windows that need replacing as well as a large stained glass window.

Come out for a one-night only exhibition curated by & featuring artworks by :








Music by Kyp Malone aka , .Ren, & DJ .

We will also be showcasing our amazing Kickstarter rewards created by: , , , , , , , , , & .

Enjoy delicious beverages provided by Leap Winery, Hill Street Vin, and Curious Elixirs.
Please note that as our event follows current NYS & federal Covid-19 guidelines, FACE MASKS will be optional for attendees.

Please join us as we celebrate this opportunity to bring creativity and healing together under one roof. We’re ecstatic to see you tonight!!! It’s gonna be jumpin so come on by!! Link in bio to RSVP!

Huge love and thanks Gary & the West Chelsea te for hosting us, to all of the artists, to Ronna for coming all the way from Pittsburgh & all of you for being part of our fam! 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤍🤍🤍🖤🖤🖤

The Heliotrope Foundation is collaborating with Za’Kiyah House to create The Sanctuary, a community center and transitional living space whose mission is to reduce drug addiction, recidivism and homelessness by meeting people in their most vulnerable states. Heliotrope first collaborated with Za'Kiyah House in 2021 to support in the creation of Donnelle's Safe Haven, a home for women returning from incarceration. The endeavor has been such a success that we have decided to keep it going by donating the Braddock Church that formerly housed the Braddock Tiles project to Za'Kiyah House, and helping them transform it into The Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary will become apartments, a social hall and a sanctuary space serving the community of North Braddock. It will address the housing discrimination faced by people with criminal records and strengthen family bonds by providing apartments where families can stay together, rather than risk having children lost to the foster care system.

While this work is local to one place, with its trauma informed model and restorative-justice based philosophy, The Sanctuary is creating a beacon that many other communities can steer by as we ask ourselves how we reckon with our notions of justice, and how we will learn to heal the intergenerational cycles of trauma that so often lead to devastating outcomes such as homelessness and incarceration.

After successfully fundraising and constructing a new roof we are now raising funds to replace the windows. There are 38 custom windows that need replacing as well as a large stain-glass window designed by Swoon, and hand crafted by local artists who are also members of the Za'Kiyah House community. Our initial goal is to raise $50,000 with a stretch goal of $100,000 that will allow us to do even more to complete all window renovations to the church.

Visit our Sanctuary Kickstarter to learn more about the project and view our excellent collection of hand-crafted rewards you can receive by supporting our fundraising initiative! Be sure to check back regularly for updates, and new rewards will be added throughout the campaign which runs until Monday, May 30.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heliotrope/the-sanctuary-0/description