Thank you for joining us for the 2018 Better Futures Luncheon. Because of your support, the event was a huge success!

Thanks to support from our community, we offer tuition-free, experiential arts learning in two dedicated hot shops to create powerful change and long-term outcomes in the lives of youth and their families. Through our programs, partnerships, and youth advocacy, Hilltop Artists is working with students to break down the barriers they face in achieving social and academic success.

2018 Student Speeches

At the 2018 Better Futures Luncheon, we heard from two students in our programs: Daria and Noah. Watch their speeches below.

Student Speaker: Noah 

Noah Lowery started glass blowing at Wilson High School and then went on to be a teaching assistant during the summer program. From there he progressed onto team production and enjoyed the work and community. After about a month of being a Hilltop Artists, he was kicked out of his house. With little belongings, he stayed at a friends house and kept returning to Hilltop Artists to be a part of team production. Outreach coordinator, Kathy Andersen, helped him find shared housing, renew his green card, get a social security number, and get his first job as a landscaper. Noah continues to work on team production and at Blue Sky Landscaping hoping to advance as a foreman in the coming year.

Click here for Noah’s student speaker video

Student Speaker: Daria

Daria was introduced to glass blowing through seeing glass art that a friend of hers had made. She then signed up for the summer program when she was 12 years old. In her Junior year of high school she received a scholarship from Hilltop Artists to attend Pilchuck for a weekend retreat and was inspired by the techniques she learned from Dan Friday. She has hopes to attend our Biot exchange program in France and is hoping to attend a college with glass art after two years at Tacoma Community College.

Click here for Daria’s student speaker video

Luncheon guests were so inspired by the student speakers that we had 62 people sign up for the newly unveiled Murrini Club. Created to recognize ongoing, monthly donors, Murrini Club members provide stable support for Hilltop Artists’ tuition-free programming. Learn more about the Murrini Club and join today!