Dear Friends of The Hearts Project:
One day, while accompanying my mom to work, she introduced me to one of her regular customers, Monica Moore, the founding artist of The Hearts Project COVID-19 Memorial. My mother had become good friends with Monica and her husband, Tom, while working as a server at a local restaurant. How could I have known that this simple introduction was a moment that would help shape the next chapter of my life?
In 2023, Monica and Tom commissioned me to create a Prismacolor illustration of a rare butterfly they had encountered. When I delivered the finished piece, our conversation turned to my aspirations in computer science, and Monica mentioned an idea she’d been developing: a digital memorial to extend the reach of the physical paper heart memorial she was creating.
Before I left, I had volunteered to help with the artistic compositions of those hearts. Many Sunday afternoons, Monica and I worked side by side in her kitchen, arranging paper hearts across the countertop. With every heart cut and every life honored, I came to understand something profound about art — its power to unlock memory and contribute to healing, shining light on collective experiences in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, we have collaborated on four memorial frame designs, grown The Hearts Project’s presence through social media and the website, and continued sharing stories of remembrance across Arkansas. And the digital memorial Monica first described to me when I was in high school? It’s becoming a reality, and I get to help build it.
Laura Avila
Software Engineer and Design Intern
The Hearts Project Foundation
Turning Dreams into Reality
This summer, The Hearts Project Foundation welcomes me as their Software Engineer and Design Intern, and the role feels like a full-circle moment.
My work here centers on maintaining and improving our website while helping bring to life a long-envisioned digital memorial that will allow even more people to honor loved ones lost to COVID-19. Seeing that vision move from idea to reality is one of the most rewarding things I’ve been part of.
The Hearts Project has shaped my life in ways I’m still discovering. My involvement with this organization found its way into my college essays and helped open doors I once thought were out of reach, including my selection as a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar and my admission to Columbia University through the QuestBridge National College Match. But those milestones, meaningful as they are, aren’t the heart of it.
What this work has really given me is a new way of thinking about community, service, and remembrance. The Hearts Project taught me that art can do far more than create something beautiful; it can preserve memories, honor lives, and draw people together across distance and grief. Along the way, I’ve grown as a leader, a communicator, and a collaborator. Most of all, I’ve grown as a person committed to a mission that continues to inspire me every day.
Broadening Our Reach
At present, we are most excited about the creation of a new Digital Memorial Mural. This online memorial allows for customizing a digital heart and dedicating it to a loved one lost to COVID-19. Participants will be able to add a short message and create a personalized tribute that becomes part of a larger effort to incorporate more voices into our work.
With this initiative, The Hearts Project can connect with more people throughout Arkansas and beyond. Because not everyone can visit the traveling memorial in person, we feel it is important to create a permanent, accessible space where anyone can become part of our efforts from anywhere.
Most importantly, this project will broaden our reach and ensure that those we lost to COVID-19 continue to be recognized and remembered. Every heart added to the mural will preserve a story, honor a life, and help keep the memory alive for future generations.
We can’t wait to share it with you!
Looking Ahead
This work does not happen without you.
Over the years, The Hearts Project has grown because people believed in something simple and profound: the COVID-19 pandemic deserves to be remembered, and communities are stronger when they grieve and heal together. Whether you have volunteered your time, donated to our mission, shared our story with someone who needed to hear it, or stood quietly in front of one of our memorial frames — you are part of this.
As we look ahead to new chapters, including the launch of the Digital Memorial Mural and continued travels across Arkansas, we carry every heart and every person who has helped us honor them with us.
Your Support Makes the Difference
Every contribution—large or small—helps us continue this work with integrity and intention. Donations support materials, transportation, exhibition costs, and the ongoing preservation of thousands of stories represented in the Memorial.
Your generosity ensures that the lives represented in the Memorial are honored, remembered, and shared with future generations. You become part of the story—part of the reason this work continues to grow.
