Volunteer
Together We Remember
Volunteers are at the heart of The Hearts Project. From cutting and arranging paper hearts to helping with exhibits and community events, every hand plays a role in bringing remembrance and healing to life. By giving your time and talents, you become part of a collective effort to honor lives lost, uplift communities, and ensure this memorial continues to grow and inspire.
Featured Volunteer
Laura Avila
Art Design Assistant & Student Intern
Volunteering with The Hearts Project has given me the opportunity to explore my artistic side while also supporting my academic journey. Being part of this organization has shown me the power of impact, as I witnessed the meaningful reactions to the art pieces I helped create.
I began volunteering during my junior year of high school and learned the process of creating large-scale collages that honor lives lost to COVID-19. Through this work, I also deepened my understanding of the pandemic itself. I learned more about COVID-19 than I had known or personally experienced, including its disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups such as minorities with limited access to healthcare, frontline workers who carried the heaviest burdens, and the medical professionals who fought the crisis head on. This experience became an important reflection point in my college applications, where I wrote about contributing to something greater than myself and ensuring that those we lost are remembered.
My involvement with The Hearts Project has opened doors to incredible opportunities, including the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship and early admission to Columbia University through the QuestBridge National College Match. These opportunities have allowed me to pursue higher education without financial barriers.
Today, I continue to volunteer with the project, gaining new skills and deepening my sense of purpose. I encourage others to contribute in any way they can. No act is too small, whether cutting out paper hearts or supporting the project in another way. Each effort becomes part of something larger and deeply meaningful.
I am especially grateful to Monica Moore for inviting me to participate and for her continued support.
Best wishes,
Laura Avila
Featured Volunteer
Marta Jones
We are grateful for support from the community of others who expressed belief in The Hearts Project from the start. Today we express thanks to artist Marta Jones for her strong words of encouragement and help with cutting hearts when in the early stages of imagining what the project might become.
Long before her calling to do The Hearts Project, Monica worked for Marta at the Fort Smith Art Center (now RAM). Although Monica had no formal training in art, Marta, an accomplished artist herself, immediately recognized Monica’s natural talent. And having seen it, Marta nurtured it, encouraging Monica to explore and experiment with her artistic gifts.
As one of the project’s biggest champions, Marta continues to encourage and help Monica at every turn.
A Special Thank You
A heartfelt thank you to those who generously donated hearts: Carolyn Coffelt, Alice Dawson, Denise Hill Addis, Sabrina Jones, and Kathy Kralik.
We also extend our sincere gratitude to Maddi Deese for her imaging consulting and services, and to Jennifer Linton for her framing consultation, both members of the Scott Frame and Art Fayetteville team.
Volunteer Testimonials
I loved getting to help my aunt with the open house for the Hearts Project—a memorial made to honor the many lives lost to COVID-19 here in Arkansas. While volunteering, I played a part in creating community art for the next exhibition and met so many people who were truly affected; it opened my eyes in such a big way. I’m beyond proud of my aunt for her commitment to this important work, and I can’t wait to see how many more lives are touched by this meaningful project.
Lauren Smith
The Covid-19 pandemic touched all of us in profound ways. Many of us lost family or friends, and all of us endured the isolation necessary to protect ourselves and our communities. When Monica Moore invited me to contribute to the Hearts Project, aimed at honoring the lives lost to Covid in Arkansas, I knew it was something I wanted to be part of. The simple, physical act of cutting the hearts made me feel connected to those so tragically affected by this disease. It also transformed the overwhelming statistics of Covid deaths—numbers I felt somewhat desensitized to after hearing them so often at the height of the pandemic—into the stories of real individuals. This project not only memorializes those who were lost, but the labor behind this project also, for me, sparked the connection that the pandemic stripped from all of us.
Sabrina Jones
I’ve been doing pro bono work for The Hearts Project for some time. Monica Moore, the artist behind this incredible work, has a gift for taking everyday things and turning them into something meaningful and beautiful. What she’s doing isn’t just creating art—she’s helping people heal and remember. Her project gives voice to the healthcare workers, the people on the front lines, and all the families who had to say goodbye alone during the pandemic. These are stories that shouldn’t be forgotten. I help out in many different ways—editing, writing, social media, whatever needs doing. It’s just my way of giving back and helping to make sure these important stories reach as many people as possible. I’ve known Monica for thirty years, and she’s one of the most dedicated people I’ve ever met—she pours her heart into everything she does. While Monica is talented in so many areas, The Hearts Project collaboration has touched more lives than anything else she’s done so far. That’s why I’m proud to support her work and help spread its message. I can’t wait to see how The Heart’s Project will continue to evolve in the coming years
Shannan Butler
I started cutting hearts for the Covid Hearts Project in September of 2022. I live in Saint Louis, MO and many people in the area didn’t believe Covid was real, even with our death rate being high. I offered to cut hearts because I liked the idea of contributing to a project that enabled people to truly understand the toll this virus was taking. Monica and her team have created amazing ways for the hearts to be displayed. Viewing 900 hearts displayed this way is more impactful than reading the number 900. My hope is this project will help people understand how much has been lost due to Covid-19, and to be a memorial to those who lost their lives.
Denise Addis
I loved getting to help my aunt with the open house for the Hearts Project—a memorial made to honor the many lives lost to COVID-19 here in Arkansas. While volunteering, I played a part in creating community art for the next exhibition and met so many people who were truly affected; it opened my eyes in such a big way. I’m beyond proud of my aunt for her commitment to this important work, and I can’t wait to see how many more lives are touched by this meaningful project. read more
Lauren Smith
The Covid-19 pandemic touched all of us in profound ways. Many of us lost family or friends, and all of us endured the isolation necessary to protect ourselves and our communities. When Monica Moore invited me to contribute to the Hearts Project, aimed at honoring the lives lost to Covid in Arkansas, I knew it was something I wanted to be part of. The simple, physical act of cutting the hearts made me feel connected to those so tragically affected by this disease. It also transformed the overwhelming statistics of Covid deaths—numbers I felt somewhat desensitized to after hearing them … read more
Sabrina Jones
I’ve been doing pro bono work for The Hearts Project for some time. Monica Moore, the artist behind this incredible work, has a gift for taking everyday things and turning them into something meaningful and beautiful. What she’s doing isn’t just creating art—she’s helping people heal and remember. Her project gives voice to the healthcare workers, the people on the front lines, and all the families who had to say goodbye alone during the pandemic. These are stories that shouldn’t be forgotten. I help out in many different ways—editing, writing, social media, whatever needs doing. It’s just my way of … read more
Shannan Butler
I started cutting hearts for the Covid Hearts Project in September of 2022. I live in Saint Louis, MO and many people in the area didn’t believe Covid was real, even with our death rate being high. I offered to cut hearts because I liked the idea of contributing to a project that enabled people to truly understand the toll this virus was taking. Monica and her team have created amazing ways for the hearts to be displayed. Viewing 900 hearts displayed this way is more impactful than reading the number 900. My hope is this project will help people … read more
Denise Addis
Want to Contribute to The Hearts Project? Send us a heart!
Download a pattern you can use to trace on paper and cut out. Mail your heart creations to our address.
12 W. Dickson #629
Fayetteville, AR 72702
Volunteer
Share your time and talents with The Hearts Project and help us honor and inspire through art, remembrance, and community connection. Fill out our contact form and someone will get back with you soon.