About Us

History of the Colored Pencil Project

Hannah Richards, the founder of the Colored Pencil Project, first distributed notebooks and pens to children in rural villages while traveling throughout Southeast Asia. Looking into the faces and hearts of these little ones, the idea of The Colored Pencil Project was born; this notion being that sometimes even a tiny act, like distributing art supplies, can make a difference in this great big wounded world.

After several years of working in various non-profit organizations, Hannah formulated and developed an idea for a non-profit of her own to promote art education, purposeful human interaction and personal expression. These three facets serve as the foundation of today’s Colored Pencil Project. Hannah’s extensive experience with children, as well as project management and the development of educational curriculum contribute to the success of this organization.

The Colored Pencil Project was established due to Hannah's desire to leave the world a little better than she found it, incorporating her love of children, art and travel to reach far corners of the globe and humanity.

Watch a video about the history of The Colored Pencil Project here:

The Colored Pencil Project Today

The Colored Pencil Project serves children in developing countries, as members distribute art supplies and facilitate workshops which encourage children to visually depict themselves and their world. These workshops allow children to explore and define what it is that makes them uniquely them, how their world influences who they are, and what about them influences their world. The Colored Pencil Project workshops are conducted with the hopes of providing children with not only supplies, but also confidence to continue to express themselves in color.