Prolific marketing executive turns artistry into advocacy
Artistry meets advocacy in Northeast Pennsylvania painter Helen Lavelle’s new initiative, Painter with a Purpose. On a quest to put her creativity and ability behind important causes and organizations that make our world better, Lavelle has created a series of collections, with online sales directly supporting their work.
- Women in recovery from addiction
- Conservation and environmental protection
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Scholarships for aspiring artists
- People striving to overcome multiple sclerosis
“It took a global pandemic to wake us up–lives and livelihoods lost, systemic racism exposed, Mother Earth threatened,” Lavelle said. “Like any artist painting a picture, I paused, stepped back from the canvas, and considered what needed to be done. I am just doing my part.”
Lavelle, president of Lavelle Strategy Group, has already carved out a prominent spot in the national marketing industry, as well as in her home community in Pennsylvania. She’s a past chair of the American Advertising Federation’s Council of Governors and also chaired its Legacy of a Lifetime Awards. Over the last decade, she’s dedicated special attention to her artistry. She has trained among contemporary visionaries around the globe and built an impressive portfolio. Her work has landed in galleries and in private collections.
Now through the sales of specially curated and inspired collections, her paintings will help to elevate these important causes.
“It will really help us kick start our company,” Cardinal Change founder and principal Constance Cannon Frazier said about the initiative. For her company, Lavelle’s funding will help build curriculum to train leaders in corporations, organizations and universities “so that we can all try to be more inclusive and open in our thinking,” she said.