Worthy Causes

Hope Floats

Following Hurricane Katrina, Covington artist Tami Curtis-Ellis created a painting to show the hope and determination of the New Orleans area.

It depicts rescue scenes that blend into cultural life scenes of the region. Ellis says that while she was visualizing the image, the words “Hope floats” and “We are unsinkable” came to her mind—she then chose Jeremiah 29:11 about God’s plans for our hope and our future for the border.

Ellis is offering 18” x 24” quality posters of the painting in exchange for donations to benefit Habitat for Humanity and the Craft Emergency Relief Fund, an organization that helps artists stricken by serious illness or disaster.

“So many artist friends of mine from the Gulf Coast have been displaced, some losing everything. We cannot afford to lose the visual interpretation that they bring to the life of the coast,” says Ellis, adding that she wants to find ways to bring these artists home.

Sponsors for this project include Life Church in Mandeville, Pastor Paul Smith; photographer Tim Dunford; and Steve Ralston, owner of “Hail Yes,” a Dallas roofing company, and the Margarita Shack. The requested donation of $150 for an unsigned poster, or $300 if signed and numbered, is completely tax deductible, with 75 percent of all contributions going to Habitat and 25 percent to CREF.