Project #1

Beginning in March of 2025, Abby and Maya met with two sisters connected by the CoachArt non-profit organization.

The younger sister, Xitlali, is suffering with a chronic illness, and the older sister, Xoana, is her biggest supporter.

Through the meaningful connections formed with the girls, Maya and Abby were able to see the two sisters branch out of their skin together and deeply explore their creative side. Maya and Abby met with the girls three times and during those meetings accomplished amazing things.

Each of the girls begun by creating a drawing of their MOST creative made up character. They were given full ability to make the drawings as colorful and magical as they wanted. Additionally, with the help of an outline Maya and Abby provided, they each created an expansive and enticing story about their characters. This included who their character was, the challenges they would face, and how they overcame them. Maya and Abby guided them through this process and assisted them when asked, but primarily wanted the girls to let their brains do the thinking! Away from the in person meetings, Maya and Abby came together to expand the outline and create it into a short storybook. The whole project came together when Maya and Abby printed and laminated the storybooks and when Budsies sent the perfectly curated stuffed animals, identically replicating the girls drawings. When Maya and Abby revealed the girls creations to them, the sisters were blown away!

The impact of this project was greater than Maya and Abby could have ever expected. The Mother of the two girls was beyond grateful for the experience given to her two girls, even noting that “this is a once in a lifetime experience”. The look on her face combined with the utter joy of the two girls faces was such an unforgettable sight. The sisters were so excited and felt proud that it all formed out of their creativity and thinking.