Interview with Health Partners CEO, Bill George

Health Partners is Fresh Artists’ first major corporate workplace installation of our children’s artwork.  

Q: Bill, what does having Fresh Artists artwork in your workplace mean to you personally?

A: “Every morning I get off the elevator, and instead of starting to mull over all the issues I need to wrestle with that day, I'm greeted by these colorful reminders of what life is all about... our future and our children. The Fresh Artists artwork makes our workplace and our community healthier, and both are business priorities for us.”

Q: How does the artwork affect others in your workplace?  

A:  “Staff at all levels have thanked us for transforming the work environment into a colorful visual of what we stand for - service to the community.  And, it contributes to building positive attitudes. It's hard to be grumpy when you're walking past great contributions by young artists who personally donated their artwork for a worthy cause.”  

Q: Why do you feel Fresh Artists is an innovative program?

A: “Who doesn't want to help improve public education in our city? The problem is most of us don't have a clue on how to contribute. Fresh Artists allows us to do that and meet an important business need at the same time. It's a good business decision and a good community decision to participate.”

Q: Would you be interested in supporting Fresh Artists in the future?

A: “We'd like to introduce other businesses to this great opportunity.  We were lucky to have found out about Fresh Artists just when we were debating what to put on the mostly blank walls of our new offices. There are probably lots of other companies who would support this effort if they knew about it and saw how great the artwork looks in our hallways and conference rooms.”  

Q: How do you see that supporting artmaking for kids can help stem violence in our cities and promote emotional and physical health among our city’s children?

A: “Fresh Artists not only provides corporations with a way to give back to the community and support public schools; they also develop a personal relationship with their contributing students, encouraging them and helping them to realize the value of their efforts.  Positive mentoring like this is vital for a child’s sense of self-worth and their potential to become a successful adults.”        

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