A 2-year-old girl sits with a mass of brightly colored Play-Doh between her delicate fingers, completely consumed by her art. Her small hands mold the dough into her own unique creation, taking her focus away from the reality of the cold, dull hospital room she’s sitting in.
Junior Zoe Wilson’s memories of her days with Stage 4 Hepatoblastoma, a rare form of liver cancer found in children no older than three, all seem distant because of how young she was during the time, but a few memories remain very clear.
“I don’t really remember much besides being in pain and doing art in the hospital,” she said. “The one thing I remember is playing with Play-Doh in the hospital and doing art projects, so obviously, art is something that really impacts people.”
The influence of art during this difficult period of her life stuck with Wilson when she was preparing an idea for her Girl Scout Silver Award and decided to start her project, Hope in Art.
Hope in Art revolves around putting together art kits, specifically do-it-yourself “squishy kits” that include everything kids need to create colorful foam stress-relieving toys, and donating them to hospitals in the area to distribute to children with cancer.
Wilson’s involvement with Hope in Art continued even after she earned her Girl Scout Silver Award. Wilson has now extended her business outside of Girl Scouts to include a YouTube channel in which she uploads tutorials for children who are unable to receive the pre-made kits. As the president of the American Cancer Society Club at school, she also works with volunteers to assemble the kits that she then distributes to hospitals.
Wilson credits a lot of her success and development to her mother’s support.
“My mom has been a really great help. She’s been really enthusiastic about the project, and she’s helped me with finances and coming up with new ideas and how to package,” she said. “I thank her a lot for it. I don’t think I would be able to get it done without her help and mentoring. I’m glad that she’s helped me with it because I’m able to gain the skills [that] she had to begin with.”
As her project grew, Wilson picked up some tricks along the way to better herself and her work.
“I also learned a lot about leadership because before, I had a hard time talking to people, especially people of higher ranks and professional adults … like doctors and such,” she said. “In [working in my business], I’m not only able to send emails to people easily, but also rally my peers in order to get something done … and create art kits”.
Hope in Art is still expanding, and Wilson has many plans and goals for the future of her business.
“I definitely want to create more kits and make them more easily accessible to children, or maybe even just create different types because I know that the ones I have at the moment may not be appealing to everyone,” she said. “I want to make sure that art is accessible to all who have illnesses and want a way to heal themselves because art is very therapeutic and I think it can bring a change to a lot of people’s lives”.
Wilson also aims to create a better and more progressive environment for the community of those affected by cancer, including the American Cancer Society Club, as a whole.
“I feel like we can get kids at our school involved and [get them] to be more aware about cancer and how you can do more to help others, [rather] than just doing the basics [like] saying ‘be aware of cancer,’” Wilson said. “That’s always how the clubs have been like … but you also need to be aware of how you can help besides raising money for the American Cancer Society.”
Wilson’s work has inspired other people around her, such as her cousin, junior Sophie Louie. Louie has been a part of Wilson’s journey as both part of her family and vice president of the American Cancer Society Club.
“I think [Zoe’s work is] very inspiring,” Louie said. “She’s giving back to something that she’s obviously felt personally. I also think it’s a smart way to combine her passion for art with something that affected her.”
In addition to inspiring others to help, Wilson also wants to encourage more action.
“I want to inspire my peers to do something outside of [themselves] and to think about those in worse conditions than [they are in] because, although that test you don’t know anything about … may be the end of the world for you, [for some people] the end of the world could be next week,” Wilson said. “You could just help them and their family through the time by giving them hope. That’s going to help them a lot because they’re going to see that you’re thinking about them and thinking outside of yourself. That’s how I want to inspire others.”
Wilson’s work is far from done. As the head of American Cancer Club and creator of Hope in Art, Wilson is more than prepared to make the change she wishes to see in her community.
