Be the Light:
Event Design
Scope of Work
Creative Direction, Event & Exhibit Design, Marketing, Sourcing & Securing Donations
Location
Columbus, Ohio
Year
2015 - 2025
Role
Nonprofit Founder, Creative Director
Collaborators
Board Members & Volunteers
Assets Created
Printed & Digital Resource Guides, Exhibit Design, Social Media, Planning Docs
Industry
Nonprofit, Mental Health
Audience
Caregivers & those struggling with their Mental Health
Creating space for community healing: experiential & event design
THE WORK
Across a decade, I fundraised for, designed, and led 25+ events ranging from intimate gatherings to hundreds of attendees — each one requiring its own marketing assets, volunteer coordination, and on-the-ground leadership. In 2020, I was selected to pitch to 100 Women Who Care, won a $10,000 grant, and used it to produce a Mental Health Gallery Event that brought together artwork from 60+ artists, drew 150+ attendees on opening night, and gave the Columbus artist community a space to heal. In 2025, I made a strategic shift — instead of hosting our own events, we decided to go where the people already were. I designed and built an interactive exhibit for Franklinton Friday during Mental Health Awareness Month, collaborating with Mikey's Late Night Slice to bring our message into the community in a way that felt organic, accessible, and lasting.
LASTING IMPACT
At the heart of every event was the same quiet goal — to create a space where people felt safe enough to be honest about how they were really doing. Mental health struggles are deeply common in the creative community, yet rarely spoken about openly. Be the Light gave that conversation a home. Every event was stocked with thoughtfully designed take-home resources — wallet cards, flyers, and guides created alongside licensed mental health professionals — so no one left empty-handed. But the most meaningful outcomes were the ones that couldn't be measured: the conversations started in a gallery corner, the person who finally felt seen, the community that left a little more connected than when they walked in.
