FLORISSANT, Mo. — Mending old wounds one brush stroke at a time on a blank canvas and watching it transform into a colorful creation.
It's not about how good it turns out for Claire and Darryl Poindexter; it's about the happiness it brings.
"It's really, really fulfilling and gives you strong emotions about what you're doing for the community," Darryl said.
Through their nonprofit organization, the JACCK Foundation for the Arts, they teach free art therapy classes to veterans and seniors multiple times a week.
“Seniors who are nearly 100 years old, who haven’t seen their family since they were 70, we come in and they light up. Most of the time, it’s because of Claire," said Darryl, who is lead artist for JACCK. "But they light up when they know that we’re coming or they see us in the room and they say, ‘Oh, we get to paint today. Are you guys coming back? I haven’t painted in 30 years. This is awesome.’”
Claire, an Air Force veteran, started the foundation in 2021 as a mobile art studio after she was diagnosed with severe PTSD and found an outlet in painting. In April 2023, they opened in Florissant and have been able to use art for healing.
"I just felt how calming it was for me and how it took my mind off of everyday things I was struggling with and the thought process that I was struggling with. I just found it to be a joyous experience," Claire said.
Claire said she knew she could help other veterans and seniors with her husband, a long-time artist.
"I said other people should feel this too. I don't know if people are aware, but the suicide rates for service members are high. If I could prevent at least one (suicide), a small change through art and through painting and just having something to do, then that is just rewarding for me," Claire said.
Darryl said the nonprofit has been able to help many struggling with mental health.
"One of our seniors came through and said she was having suicidal thoughts," Darryl said. "She was having some health issues, and one of the other seniors invited her, and she expressed that to Claire. She said once she started coming here, she smiles, she's happy now, she socializes, she's getting out."
The JACCK Foundation offers more than just painting. It opens its doors to the public on the weekends for karaoke and painting. All the money raised goes towards their mission.
"What we do is an act of vulnerability to share that I have severe PTSD and to be able to say that out loud, to say that I suffer from suicidal thoughts, but I've overcome that. I think that is very important, especially in our community where therapy is so taboo. We just want others to be okay with being okay. Be okay with being yourself. Be okay with healing yourself," Claire said.
Claire and Darryl hope to inspire others through their passion for art therapy.
"He's a black male doing art, and I think that is important for us to see the representation of men doing something that is so passionate," she said. "Showing young black men that it's possible to be a strong male figure in your home, in your community, but having that soft side of empathy and sympathy for those around you."
The Poindexter's provided three academic scholarships last year. This year, they want to double that amount.
To learn more, sign up for classes, or donate to the nonprofit, you can click here.
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