"For the past few years, Lori has dedicated herself to raising money through her artwork to assist refugees and asylees in our community. To date, she has raised nearly $35,000 to assist these new residents, as they strive to become self-sufficient in their new homes. Lori has had two solo shows in the past three years, benefitting Hearts & Homes for Refugees, where she is also a member of the Board: "Glimpses of the Places They Called Home" (2020), an online auction during the Covid pandemic, and "Visions of Home Lands" (2022) at the White Plains Public Library Museum Gallery.

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In addition to raising much-needed funds, Lori's art depicts people of various ethnicities, nationalities, and cultural traditions in a rich and colorful visual style. As she told The Hudson Independent in 2022, "My paintings are an homage to the bravery, kindness, and exuberance of our new neighbors who bring so much to our communities."

 

That her paintings view her subjects with dignified and life-affirming beauty makes their impact all the greater."

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MaryJane Shimsky

Member of Assembly, 92nd District

State of New York

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"Lori's paintings pay tribute to the beauty and richness of the homelands that newcomers to the US have left behind. They offer glimpses of people, traditions and cultures of many different countries, and they honor the bravery, heart and exuberance of our new refugee neighbors who bring so much to our communities. All proceeds from these painting sales have gone directly to Hearts & Homes for Refugees...The sales from her collections and the subsequent donations for paintings have raised approximately $35,000 for the organization. Equally important is the awareness that she has raised through her work...

 

My office and I applaud the truly indispensable role she has played in supporting and advocating for refugees in Westchester County."

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Amy R Paulin

Member of Assembly, 88th District

State of New York

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"Lori's utilized her art to inspire and support [Hearts & Homes for Refugees'] mission, and ultimately the hundreds of families they have helped. Through her 'Visions of Home Lands' exhibition this past Spring at the White Plains Library Museum Gallery, as well as her previous exhibition 'Glimpses of the Places They Called Home' (an online auction), she has raised approximately $35,000. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of her artwork - more than 60 pieces in total - went to HHR to be used in their efforts to welcome and integrate refugees into our community...The United Way is a proud supporter of their efforts and those they serve...

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But just as important as the dollars raised, were the conversations her artwork engendered as it reflected the people and places from which many of these refugees come. Dialog is always the key to understanding and through her artwork, countless members of our community learned about and came to understand the refugee experience and the necessity for our community to welcome these families."

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Tom Gabriel

President and CEO

United Way of Westchester and Putnam

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"When Lori first offered her time to benefit a cause that is deeply rooted in her faith tradition (welcoming the stranger), she brought her many gifts to the table. Her persistent pursuit of perfection, people skills and engagement with volunteers, students, all faith communities, and anyone she encountered in her daily life has amplified the mission of Hearts & Homes for Refugees...She has certainly inspired, educated and equipped others to see and accept the beauty and contributions of refugees and immigrants...

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Creating her first collection of paintings and accompanying stories was organic. It happened during COVID when she had the creative space needed to produce a body of breathtaking work. She had already become an invaluable member of our team...but clearly had a need to go a step further: to create baed on her passionate belief that refugees and immigrants improve our communities....

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Her work is moving and the stories she writes about each piece captivate and enhance the visual beauty of her work. She is recognized as an artist with talent and her work touches the hearts and souls of a growing number of followers.

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Lori's leadership in our organization, her vision and talent as an artist, and her generosity have all had an important financial impact on our organization, an educational impact on the many communities we serve and has inspired others to join the effort to assist our new refugee neighbors. Most important, her talent and vision have given our own mission and vision a lift far beyond what we could have done without her."

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Kathie O'Callaghan

President & Founder

Hearts & Homes for Refugees 

www.HeartsandHomesforRefugees.org

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"Although Ms Hop has long been painting for pleasure and personal fulfillment, in recent years she has been putting her passion to work to enhance the culture and beauty of our community and in so doing, she has impacted the lives of many.

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As a volunteer with Hearts & Homes for Refugees, Ms Hosp has worked tirelessly to ease the transition of new refugee families to our area...Several years ago, she found a way to combine her passions for painting and for helping refugee families. She researched the homelands and culture of not just refugees, but of the many other people that make up and contribute to the diversity of our local community...She has poured her heart into over 60 paintings 'that convey the richness of the worlds from which we all come, or those of our ancestors.'

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Ms Hosp held two separate art shows to display this work. This increased our community's access to the cultural experiences of others through her colorful, heartfelt and thoughtful works of art. I attended the live show and was touched by the sight of people taking the time to read about the different cultures represented and to appreciate the beauty in the simple things that mean so much to the way a culture develops and sustains itself even in the face of great struggle. 

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Last year, inspired by Ms Hosp's work and her motivation to use art to shine a light on all of the beauty that diverse cultures bring to our community, I shared Ms Hosp's artistic message with my students. I am a third grade teacher at Hackley School in Tarrytown NY. In the context of learning about human rights, we began an ongoing discussion about the refugee crisis, and we spoke about the work of HHR. My students were particularly concerned about the war in Ukraine...

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While acknowledging the urgency and horror of the war, I thought it important for students to recognize the beauty of Ukraine and its people, honoring both what was lost as well as the wonder and strength that remains. To this end, I shared Ms Hosp's website with them and the images of her paintings. Students enjoyed the rich, vibrant representation of Afghanistan, Syria, West Africa, Myanmar, Vietnam and so many others. As a result, many of my students asked if they might create their own paintings in honor of Ukraine. Thus, these young minds set about creating beautiful depictions of Ukraine's food, landscape and flowers. We then showcased them so that our students, faculty and families would have this 'glimpse of the places Ukranians called home.'

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Ms Hosp's extraordinary vision to enrich the cultural heritage of our community through her art inspired my students and their families, and I know it will have a lasting impact on me as a member of this community and as an educator.. Ms Hosp exemplifies what it means to use artistic expression to lead and enhance a community to explore and appreciate the cultures within and to enrich our cultural heritage."

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Roni Kanter

Lead Teacher and Lower School Community Service Coordinator

Hackley School, Tarrytown NY

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