Kids & Art Foundation hosts free Chalk2Heal event Sept. 26

A Burlingame nonprofit born from one mother's hospital art projects sent nearly 6,800 kits to children with cancer in 2025.

Kids & Art Foundation, headquartered at 1443 Howard Ave. in Burlingame, will mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with Chalk2Heal, a free sidewalk chalk event on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Sunset Dunes Park at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, Patch first reported. The event runs from noon to 3 p.m. and is open to all ages.

Founder Purvi Shah started the organization in 2008 after her son Amaey was diagnosed with leukemia at age 3 in 2005. Shah, a creative director, began bringing art supplies to fill long hours at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.

"He had to pretty much be quarantined at home, so it just became our little adventure," Shah said in a Bay Area Parent profile published Aug. 26. "Whatever he was into, we would make it into art."

Amaey died at age 9 after a six-year battle with cancer. Shah hosted a fundraiser at Pixar headquarters, where her husband worked, pairing local artists with 15 pediatric cancer patients. The response from families and artists pushed her to formalize the effort into a nonprofit.

Shah stepped down as CEO in 2023 but remains on the foundation's board. She lives in San Mateo.

Kids & Art operates programs in 27 hospitals nationwide, including Lucille Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Kaiser Oakland and George Mark Children's House in Castro Valley, per Bay Area Parent. Each kit includes materials and instructions for a project, plus enough supplies for siblings to participate. In the foundation's own surveys, 87 to 92 percent of participants said the kits decreased stress and anxiety and elevated their mood.

In 2025, the foundation sent more than 6,786 kits to 55 care centers across 28 states, according to its website. More than 1,150 volunteer hours and 40-plus professional artists supported the work.

Chalk2Heal details

The Sept. 26 event at Sunset Dunes Park will feature sidewalk chalk art, giant bubble-making, face painting, live entertainment and artwork by local artists, according to the foundation's event page. Admission is free.

Residents interested in volunteering or sponsoring can email [email protected]. More information is available at kidsandart.org.