Flint's Art-Meets-Justice Program Earns National Recognition for Healing Violence-Torn Families

Where Crime Prevention Meets Compassion

A Flint-based program that pairs local artists with families of violence victims has earned national recognition — and it's reshaping what people expect from a crime-fighting organization. Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee County received a national award from Crime Stoppers USA, Inc. The award recognizes the organization's community initiative, "HeART to Canvas," a project that created space for healing, remembrance, and community connection through art.

The idea originated about a decade ago when Adrian Montague, executive director of Doxa Development, noticed a painting of a crime victim — a teenager killed in a hit-and-run — in the office of Crime Stoppers Executive Director Julie Lopez, and suggested using art to help families of crime victims. What began as a simple observation has grown into an award-winning initiative that is changing how communities reckon with grief and violence.

Art as a Bridge Between Loss and Community

Over the course of the project, local artists worked with families impacted by violence to create portraits that honor the lives of loved ones lost. Artists were paired with family members connected through Crime Stoppers, asked them questions, got to know them, heard about their loved ones, and then created an art piece specifically for each family. The result is a deeply personal gallery that transforms grief into something visible — and shared.

One participant, Marcia, widow of Ramone McQueen whose 2007 homicide remains unsolved, described the experience: "I was thankful to give the artist pictures of my husband, and she brought those pictures to life. I smile every time I look at his portrait." That kind of testimony speaks to something no tip line or billboard campaign can easily replicate. Lopez noted that family members have said that when they look at the art, they feel a good feeling about their loved one, and that the project has touched their lives in many different ways.

A National Stage for a Local Mission

The honor was presented during the annual Crime Stoppers USA Training Conference held September 17–20 in Washington, D.C., which brought together 208 program members representing 94 Crime Stoppers organizations. Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee County board President Tim Jones and Vice President Rachel Nanni were among those in attendance.

Lopez expressed the organization's pride in the recognition, saying: "We are incredibly honored to receive this national recognition. HeART to Canvas represents what Crime Stoppers can be when we look beyond the tip line and ask what our community needs." She also extended thanks to all participating families and artists, as well as Doxa Development and Stacks Creative, for helping bring the project to life and capturing the stories through video and photography.

A Model Worth Replicating

The project also produced a 13-minute film that honors and commemorates loved ones through art. Flint community members gathered at First Presbyterian Church to watch the documentary highlighting how local artists are helping families honor loved ones lost to violence. The screening was followed by a panel discussion with participating families and artists — turning a passive viewing into an active community conversation.

What Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee County has built is a reminder that public safety organizations don't have to choose between fighting crime and nurturing the people left behind by it. As Lopez has put it, "At Crime Stoppers, we believe safety and healing go hand in hand. The HeART to Canvas project is a deeply moving tribute to lives lost and a powerful reminder of the strength within our community." With national recognition now in hand, the hope is that other communities across the country will look to Flint — a city that has endured more than its share of hardship — as a model for what compassionate, creative crime prevention can look like.