At 25 years of age, she has begun her own small art business which promotes local Toronto artists and also helps raise funds for building projects in Kenya. Laura doesn’t simply raise money and let it out of her hands- she personally travels to Kenya annually with a small team and delves into the culture and works on the building projects herself. The concept behind A Work of Heart is that people send in a photograph and Laura paints it for them. A portion of the proceeds go back into the business while another portion goes directly to the Kenyan building projects. She regularly features local Toronto artists on her blog and thus raises awareness locally (Toronto) and globally (Kenya). Laura recently hosted her first art show in Toronto which was a huge success! Along with selling a couple pieces she mobilized the Toronto art scene and had over 8 artists donate their pieces to be auctioned off.

Name: Laura Armstrong

Passion: Helping people. There is no better feeling then knowing you have made a difference in someone’s life.

9 to 5:  I am currently a Postgraduate Certificate student at Humber College for Fundraising and Volunteer Management and run my own small art business- A Work of Heart.

Shameless plug:  I will be doing my next art display at System Fitness Gym located at 2100 Bloor St W for the month of April- come check it out! Or visit my website at www.a-work-of-heart.org.

Favourite heel:  I am 5’2 so any 6 inch heel works for me!

Home is... where I get to paint!

I overcome a ¨broken heel¨ by…  going for a run. Running is my therapy and I get a natural high when I get to about 5k. I am planning to run my first half marathon this summer.

I confess I am… a huge nerd. I love to learn and would be a student forever if I could.

If I had one wish… I would want a trip around the world J

Beauty is… Confidence. Knowing who you are and owning it gives such a warm glow to a person.

I absolutely love…  To travel with just my backpack and my sleeping bag. I love to rough it and see the world outside of five star hotels.

My role model is…  Mary Wanderi- the founder of the charity I work with in Kenya. She is an amazing woman who has dedicated her life to helping HIV positive women and their children living in the slums achieve a better life.

I want to be remembered for…  The work I am trying to do abroad. I have been told I have inspired other people to do something daring because I come off so passionately about what I do. It is an amazing feeling to hear that you’ve inspired someone.

You make a difference by…  by being a social entrepreneur. Social enterprise is one of the newest business ideas where you can create social change from success in selling your product.

Last words…  I volunteered in the slums of Kenya over a year ago during their rainy season. It would downpour every night and flood all the homes in the slums. We became friends with a little boy named Paul, who lived in the slums with his Mother. One night we took him and his mother out for dinner. Paul told my team, ‘Even if the rain comes tonight, I will be happy because I got to spend this time with you.’ I now have ‘even if the rain comes’ tattooed on my side as words to live by. Paul taught me that you can’t be afraid of what might happen next. You have to remember to live in the moment, and that for lot of people in this world living in the moment is all you have.