Purposeful Painting: Putting the fun back into fundraising
/Story and photos by Victor Schukov
While everyone paints the same theme, there is not one painting that will ever look exactly like anyone else’s.
Natural born artists stand out at a very young age and usually, if not eventually, will display their multiple talents.
Lorraine Shalitis was born in Kingston, and raised in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Her Mom often said that Shalitis was painting, drawing and singing before she could even talk. At age seven she had already won an art contest and by age 11, Shalitis was considered a bass violin prodigy, giving shows in schools and theatres.
Shalitis came to Belleville in 1996 and over the years worked at Nortel while raising three children. In 2005 she took the Business Sales & Marketing program at Loyalist College and worked as a sales manager for close to ten years, but the painting and the singing didn’t loose a beat. She laughs recounting when, “I was in a car with my little girl and Patsy Cline was on the radio and my daughter said, ‘Mom, that girl sounds just like you.’ Out of the mouth of babes, I took the hint and started a Patsy Cline tribute act.”
Since that fateful conversation she has played in practically every major jamboree such as those in Marmora and Havelock. Six years ago, she took second place in the “Spitting Image” tribute contest in Montreal. “It’s always Frank Sinatra that takes first when I compete. Who can compete with My Way?” Shalitis has also sung back-up with some cool country acts, and as a duo with her bandmate and best friend Stompin’ Jon, tribute to the late Tom Connors.
In 2015, complications from an old injury resurfaced themselves. The former sale manager said “I was looking for something I could do at my own pace because of my limited mobility. I thought if I was going to have to deal with chronic pain I might as well be doing something where I help others, and that’s where my charity/business came from.” Combining her business and creative skills with a strong desire to make a difference in the community, Purposeful Paintingwas born in January 2019; it runs paint-night fundraisers at local pubs and restaurants with each event benefiting a selected charitable organization — $15.00 from every ticket sold is donated to the featured organization for that evening.
Lorraine Shalitis, owner of Purposeful Painting says that paint night fundraisers are all about having fun and helping the community.
“We are a fundraiser's dream come true” said Quinte West’s Shalitis. “So many organizations simply don’t have the extra resources to fundraise, so we run the event from top to bottom by providing all the supplies, marketing, ticket sales, setting up and cleaning after. At the end of the event, we give the funds raised to the organization. Part of our mission is to give fundraising coordinators a much-deserved break. We do this because we know that the people at the charity already work really hard. I have volunteered in some of those charities like Gleaners Food Bank and sang at benefits for raising money for families who have lost someone. I know what they go through. Purposeful Painting is a “too good to be true that is actually true.”
From left: Judy Marshall of Trenton and Tammy Hartford, Picton agree that these evenings are a great night out with friends.
In their first year, recipients included Fixed Fur Life, Sandy Pines Animal Rescue, Gleaner’s and Trenton Food Banks, Quinte Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters as well as sport leagues, schools and churches. Donations exceeded $10,000.
“The best part is bringing people together to create, showing them what they can do, and helping our community at the same time. It’s a win/win for everyone. Art classes are very hard to find without paying oodles of money.
We give an art lesson during the event, and everyone paints the same thing. Some people who have never painted before come up with these incredible pieces.
They thought they couldn’t but discover their talent. Everyone can paint, you just have to be taught, like learning to ride a bike, step by step. You come out and trust that the instructor can teach you. It gives you a new passion. Some people will go home and get an art set and you never know, may become a painter that makes a huge contribution to art in the future.Many times, the folks who attend need an extra push to come out, and knowing it’s for a great cause does exactly that.Plus, it’s a night of entertainment, and they often have dinner, then bring their drink to the painting table.”
A full class of post dinner participants painting for a good cause.
Shalitis begins each event with rule number one: Have fun!
She said, “Once, when we were painting an owl, these two friends made fun of each other’s rendition. The laughter was incredible. One said, ‘Yours looks like Shrek,’ and the other said, ‘Yours looks like Bigfoot.’ It’s a great time. You can forget about life for a few hours if you need a break from everything.”
In January 2020, Purposeful Painting donated over $1,200, for Quinte West Relay for Life, on behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society. The paint-night held at Boston Pizza in Trenton, was enjoyed by all. Participant Teresa Burton of Trenton came with her three best friends from grade nine. Burton said that “I am very happy with my painting despite not having painted much before. Correction. I can paint anything I want as long as it’s on a finger nail. Lorraine has seen my nail art. I paint pictures like we are doing today, but on a pinky finger nail. My favourite was a sparkly blue ocean, golden red sunset and a palm tree and a seagull and a sand dune. I had a very bad month, and this is making me very happy.’
Judy Marshall of Trenton said that “I have done a few of these events. I love these things, a night out with my friends. It’s for a good cause. I love to paint at home also. The more I come out, the more techniques I learn. I would like to do something special one day. It’s just been a year, but this got me going. It’s just fun. You go out for dinner, then paint.”
Tammy Hartford of Picton added that “I have done this for a year now, about 20 times.” Laughing she added that these events are a “definite therapy, keeps my sanity, gets me away from my son and my husband.”
Jennifer Brunix, Amanada Lorbetski, Megan Burnside-Poitras, and Lauren Dashnay from Relay for Life are one of the organizations that benefit from these events.
For Shalitis, the business has also been an epiphany because“when your health is not so great, you start to think about the big picture. So, every hour I give out has to be meaningful. Purposeful Paintinghas a legacy. I made something better while I was here. Life is good, you know? It is what you make it, right? My Mom died of cancer around the time I started this business, and I realized in the short time you are on this planet you can try and stay afloat, then rise above. As a mom, nothing matters more to me than to be a positive role model for my kids. Even more, they see one person can make a difference. You have to ask yourself, what is the most important thing to me? I want to help others. It’s a team effort, but it takes one person to start the current, then everything else flows. You have to ask, to get things out of life. I was not afraid to ask, and I didn’t get any No’s.”
For more information: Purposeful Paintingis 100% Canadian owned and operated, committed to ensuring that their paint night fundraisers are all about having fun and helping the community. To book a fundraiser or other paint event contact (613) 922-2200 or email info@purposefulpainting.ca
