GREAT FALLS — Beautifully crafted bowls by artists like Lisa Botti are more than just a work of art. For women and children seeking shelter from domestic violence, they can hold a hot meal, and more importantly hope for a brighter future.
“For me, it's a great cause,” said Botti of the upcoming Empty Bowls fundraising event for the YWCA of Great Falls. “I feel like one of the biggest public health issues is child abuse.”
Botti, a social worker by trade, has been making pottery for nearly two decades. For the last 10 years, she’s been donating to the YWCA’s Empty Bowls, now in its 30th year.
“We have an event that’s just beautiful for the community to come eat some soup, have some bread and dessert and choose a bowl that they can take home with them,” said Sandi Filipowicz, YWCA of Great Falls Executive Director.
Empty Bowls will be on Saturday, November 12th, at the University Center at the University of Providence from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. New this year is a VIP reception with artists on Friday, November 4th at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm.
“We’re having a kiln reveal at 5:30,” said Empty Bowls chair and YWCA of Great Falls board member Jackie Owens. “So all those bowls that are being fire glazed will be coming right out of the kiln that evening, so you’ll have the first opportunity to get your hands on one of those as well.”
About 20 artists have donated bowls and eight vendors will provide soup for Empty Bowls which raises money for the YWCA’s Mercy Home Shelter.
This year, organizers have adopted the tag line, "No child should have an empty bowl."
“The YWCA has so many different services for our women and our children that come into the Mercy Home,” said Owens. “It’s a safe place for them to go to heal and to get those services that they need to be independent and to move forward from a bad situation.”
“It's a really important place that we have in the community of Great Falls and doing this is a way of supporting that,” said Botti. “Once a social worker, always a social worker. I use my pottery to support social causes. That's important to me.”
“It’s a simple, beautiful event,” said Filipowicz. For more information, call the YWCA at 406-452-1315, or click here to visit the website.
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