Traverse City mural event to fund trauma therapy services

A $100 mural workshop at Peace Ranch will help pay for trauma therapy in Traverse City while giving participants a direct role in creating the artwork. Brushstrokes for Healing is scheduled for May 30 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Peace Ranch, 2570 Hoosier Valley Road, as part of Mental Health Awareness Month.

Artist Martina Hahn will guide guests as each person paints one canvas panel, and the full mural will be revealed in real time during the event. Peace Ranch says the format is meant to make the fundraiser more than a passive donation drive. In its event description, the nonprofit says, "There are stories at Peace Ranch that words alone can’t hold," and adds that "healing like this doesn’t happen alone. It happens because of community."

The money raised will support equine-assisted therapy services for children, adults and families healing from trauma. Peace Ranch says its broader work includes trauma, counseling, mental health and personal growth services for veterans, children, teens and families in Traverse City, with horse-assisted therapy led by certified professionals. The ranch’s campaign page for Horses for Mental Health shows a $20,000 team goal, part of a 31-day May campaign that brings together nonprofits, individuals and businesses to raise awareness and funds for equine-assisted mental health services.

Peace Ranch’s model leans on rescue horses as part of the healing process. An earlier Impact100 Traverse City profile said the ranch had 17 rescue horses, many with histories of abuse or neglect, and described them as part of the therapy setting. Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center has said its equine therapy partnership with Peace Ranch uses a trauma-informed approach, with children grooming, leading and spending time with horses under licensed therapists to build trust, self-regulation and emotional awareness.

The fundraiser lands in a county where mental health access remains a steady concern, especially for families balancing trauma, stress and the cost of care. Peace Ranch frames the work as a matter of fairness as much as compassion, saying, "healing should never be a privilege, it should be a promise." For Traverse City residents, Brushstrokes for Healing offers a rare chance to turn a public art project into direct support for therapy services that are already rooted in the community.