Driving around Folsom you can’t help but notice the many beautifully decorated heart statues at some 21 locations throughout the city. The eye-catching art pieces are a product of Choose Folsom’s 2022-23 Leadership Class known as The Heartbeat of Folsom, a project that has been the talk around town since it began earlier this year.
While the project is a community art exhibit featuring a series of beautifully designed and painted heart sculptures celebrating what makes Folsom special and unique as a city and a community, the project was about much more. It was designed to raise funds for Folsom’s Powerhouse Ministries, a component that became reality Thursday afternoon as a check for the amount of $20,000 was delivered to the local organization.
“The vision for every class project in Leadership Folsom is to have a positive impact on our city, our community and our region,” said Bill Romelli, on behalf of Choose Folsom and the 2023-24 Leadership class. “In that spirit, and together with 20 local businesses and individuals who sponsoredthe hearts for our citywide art exhibit, the class project focused on raising funds for Powerhouse Ministries, a local Folsom nonprofit working to assist the underserved in our community.”
Powerhouse Ministries has been part of the Folsom Community now for 30-years. The Christian based non-profit offers a variety of difference resources and programs to continue its mission of offering hope and help to those trapped in crime, addiction, abuse, poverty and other tough situations. Those that want to learn more about them can do so by visiting their website at www.phmfolsom.org.
Themes for the “Heartbeat of Folsom” included innovation, health, history, technology, community, and natural beauty. Friday. A total of twenty-one sculptured hearts, each sponsored by local businesses and organizations can now be viewed at various locations throughout Folsom. You can learn where at www.heartbeatoffolsom.com or reference the map below this article.
More than 20 local organizations sponsored the hearts, with a portion of the funds raised going to Powerhouse Ministries to help support the underserved in the the community.
Businesses and organizations who sponsored and funded the hearts included: Adrian Blanco Jewelry, AKT, Broadstone Marketplace, BRMS, Clutch, Choose Folsom, Dan Haverty, Dignity Health, Elliott Homes, EXP Realty-Steve Heard, Folsom Central / Folsom Faire, Folsom Lake College, Folsom Premium Outlets, Happy Memories Care Home, Inductive Automation, Morton Pitalo, MyFolsom.com, The Palladio, Powerhouse Pub, Red Bus Brewing Company, REY Engineering, Snooks Chocolate Factory and Toll Brothers. Additional partners that provided in-kind support included TK Automotive Refinishing, DesCor Builders, and Hemington Landscaping,
The artists behind the outstanding themed creations were as follows: Vicky Warren was the creator of Folsom Live; Mya Ray created Cruising Through History; Courtney Hvostal created Magnificent Oaks; Mandi Oliphant created Seasons of Folsom; Delayna Breeve, Folsom’s Hidden Heart; Nirmal Mangal Vedhekar, Blossom Bliss; Luliana Rodriguez, Folsom Luv; Tina Petersen, Life in Prison, Sarah Bluford, The Art of the Trail; Students of St. John Notre Dame School, Folsom Leadership Has Heart: Ashley Ragan, Fun at The Farmers Market; Heidi Garner, Coming in Clutch, Lauren Baierlein and Kaitlyn Wilkey, Home is Where the Heart Is; Jessica Horne, It Flows Through; Mercy Hospital Staff, Leaders and Physicians; Eric Eggie Foust, Ride Folsom; Curt Ives, Sunset in the District; Emily Shearer, On the Old Gold Mine; Alex Freitas, Logan Henderson, Kate Horita, Patty Mimmock,Katy Wykoff and Jeanette Young teamed up to create Innovation; Shauna Gallagher, Heart of Nature; Nick Butler, Delivering on Our Promises.
For those that are interested in joining in a future Leadership Class with Choose Folsom and the Folsom Chamber of Commerce, more information can be found at www.choosefolsom.com.
