July 2026 - A Note from Karen

Over the past few years, art and music have become more than creative outlets for me. They have been part of my healing.

After a very difficult 2023 — losing my mother, receiving my own cancer diagnosis, and moving through treatment — I found myself slowly rebuilding my sense of rhythm, purpose, and connection. Music helped me breathe again. Art helped me notice beauty again. Community helped me remember that healing is not something we do alone.

Since the fall of 2024, I have had the privilege of sharing music during the art show receptions at the Georgia Cancer Center. Those moments have meant more to me than I can fully express. To play music in a space where patients, caregivers, artists, physicians, staff, and families are gathered around beauty and hope feels deeply personal.

Even after the devastation of Hurricane Helene in 2024, these gatherings reminded me that community can still create peace in the middle of uncertainty. A song, a painting, a quiet room, a garden, a kind conversation — these are not small things. They help people find their way back to themselves.

That is why I am especially moved by the opportunity to see the Meditation Room activated more fully. For me, this work is not abstract. It is connected to my own return to life, service, and community after a rough season. Art and music helped make that return feel possible. I would be honored to help create experiences that offer that same sense of comfort, reflection, and gentle restoration to others.