GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - Jessie Mercer lost her art studio in the Camp Fire.  Since then, she has been on a mission to help people heal through art.  Mercer is an art therapist who passionately believes that “art makes people feel better.”  She created the Butte County Art on Wheels organization and secured grant money through the North Valley Community Foundation and the Red Cross to fund art supplies for Camp Fire survivors.

Mercer created the sculpture “Ridge Key Phoenix,” which was unveiled on the one-year anniversary of the Camp Fire.  She collected house keys from Paradise residents who had lost their homes, and formed 14,000 of the keys into a Phoenix bird sculpture.

Mercer brought donated art supplies to the Gridley FEMA group site and helped residents create bags of art supplies for the children in their families.  

Mercer works as a child life specialist for Butte Hope, formerly CalHOPE.  Miranda McWilliams, a crisis counselor for Butte Hope, assisted Mercer.  Butte Hope is a crisis outreach agency funded by the Red Cross.  Together, Mercer and McWilliams were able to distribute bags to over 20 children in Gridley.