Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona Rebrands as Art Heals Arizona

After more than three decades of serving vulnerable youth across the Valley, Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona officially became Art Heals Arizona this February, marking a significant evolution in the organization’s identity and mission.

The name change was announced during the nonprofit’s Blooming in Hope Soiree. The celebratory event highlighted a new chapter for the organization and a renewed focus on healing, resilience and the transformative power of art.

“We’ve discussed a potential name change for a while now,” CEO Matt Sandoval said. “The change serves several purposes, including making it clearer what our organization does and focusing on healing and the return to well-being instead of giving space to adverse experiences.”

The rebrand had been a year in the making. Originally approved in February 2025, leadership spent months preparing for a rollout that reflected the organization’s legacy and its future direction. According to Sandoval, the shift addressed concerns that had surfaced around the language used in the former name.

Volunteers and past participants had expressed discomfort with the phrase “abused children” being central to the organization’s identity. While the mission has always centered on supporting youth who have experienced trauma, leaders recognized that emphasizing adversity in the name could unintentionally reinforce stigma.

By adopting Art Heals Arizona, the organization intentionally reframed its identity to focus on the solution – healing through art – rather than the trauma itself.

The updated name also brings greater clarity when communicating with potential participants, community partners and donors. It immediately conveys the organization’s purpose: fostering healing and resilience through creative expression. Leaders noted that the streamlined name will also strengthen marketing and outreach efforts, making it easier to connect with supporters and the broader community.

Founded in 1993, Art Heals Arizona has worked to transform children’s trauma into resilience through arts-based programming. Using a trauma-informed approach across all initiatives, the organization provides safe spaces where children and teens can build peer connections, develop self-confidence and find their voice. Through partnerships with 43 social service and child welfare agencies at more than 100 sites across Maricopa County, the nonprofit reaches more than 8,000 children each year.

Its impact is made possible by 900 volunteer mentors and artists who lead creative programs designed to empower participants and support their emotional well-being.

By centering art as a pathway to healing, the organization continues to help young people move forward with strength and hope. The Blooming in Hope Soiree served as both a celebration of that legacy and a public introduction to the new name.

“In front of our community of donors, partners, volunteers, and friends, I delivered a speech I have been living toward for three years. We officially became Art Heals Arizona.  For years, this organization has created a safe space for children who have experienced things no child should experience. We handed them paintbrushes, clay, and fabric, and said: Let’s make something. Not to fix them. Not to erase what happened. But to give them a place where their hands could move, and where their stories could take shape outside their bodies,” Sandoval said.

As Art Heals Arizona moves ahead, leaders say the rebrand reinforces what has always been at the heart of the organization’s work: creating brighter futures through compassion, creativity and community. For more behind this Frontdoor, visit arthealsaz.org.