A Work of Heart

3Rivers is a banking institution with their headquarters in Fort Wayne, IN. The employees at 3Rivers have graciously donated their time to pour into our GiGi University program for several years. Employees come to sessions and educate our GiGi U students on money wellness. These sessions include going over wants vs. needs, banking, basic budgeting and more. The highlight of each class is getting a behind the scenes tour of a 3Rivers branch, including seeing the vault and seeing how the drive-thru works.  

 When you walk into the branches, you will see beautiful art displayed on the walls. During the latest session of GiGi U, volunteers from 3Rivers noticed the artistic abilities of the students. They went back to their branch and had an epiphany! Why not have artwork created by GiGi’s Playhouse participants up in the lobby?

Bethany is a talented artist who has been attending programs at GiGi’s Playhouse Fort Wayne since 2016. She can often be found letting her creative juices flow in any activity she completes. At home, she will spend three to four hours a day painting, with many of her paintings taking three to four weeks to complete. Her paintings are not color-by-number, as she is not one to be told which color to use and where it should go. She purchases canvases with a design and often purchases additional paints, as the ones that come with the kits are not to her liking.

Bethany created stunning and colorful pieces that are now proudly displayed at the DuPont branch of 3Rivers. Bethany was congratulated with flowers from our friends at 3Rivers and the positive feedback from banking customers has already been astounding. When asked about what she enjoys about creating art, Bethany just smiled and said, “it makes my heart happy.”