On June 3, Art from Ashes joined the Edgewater Pride Parade to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community during Pride month! Edgewater Pride shares the purpose of their event on their Facebook page, stating that the event is “founded on inclusivity, love, and resilience” and “is a call for liberation and dignity, where every single person in our community can feel affirmed, included and respected. We welcome family, friends, participants and spectators of all genders, orientations, races, abilities and religions to come celebrate and stand for our community.”

Our Board of Directors President Kelly Thomas and her family represented AfA at the event from a fabulous float decked out with rainbow garland, pride flags and community joy! Art from Ashes has previously participated in the parade, but this year we wanted to show up in a BIG way by bringing AfA’s beloved Phoenix symbol to life.

The Phoenix of myth and legend is a magical bird with the power of rebirth. This powerful symbol of renewal and regeneration has served as inspiration not only for our agency’s name, but also for our Phoenix Rising creative youth empowerment programs, which are centered in healing, hope and transformation.

Kelly’s 15-year-old son Sean (he/they) created the float design, and a team of creative geniuses, including Sean, Kelly, her husband David (he/him), AfA intern Jess Craig (she/her), AfA volunteers, Kelly’s coworkers, and other community members all contributed to transform Sean’s design into a “larger than life” mascot, Phineas the Phoenix!

Phineas stands six and a half feet tall and has a twelve-foot wingspan, and is made primarily from recycled materials including newspaper and cardboard, plus tape, glue, shiny cardstock plumage, materials acquired from multiple trips to the plumbing section of the hardware store, and a whole lot of creativity.