An Empowered Woman | Julia Galetti
Julia Galetti is very clear when she describes her life these days: “I am an empowered woman!”
That spirit of empowerment is hard won. She has overcome addiction, family trauma, and homelessness, and now resides at 1515 Fairmount Avenue, which has been her home for the past decade. After twenty-three years clean, she still is diligent in maintaining her recovery – “I never want to go back to being homeless again.”
A great deal of her power shines through her art work. Julia is a leading figure in Project HOME’s art program. Her dazzling and colorful paintings and her intricate quilts have been displayed numerous times, including in various city arts galleries. But for her, art is more than just aesthetic beauty: Three times she has been awarded an Art and Change Grant from the Leeway Foundation, given to selected women who engage in individual or community change through their art. Julia has used the grant to empower fellow Project HOME residents and children to understand the power of art and its potential in their life, just as it has impacted her, providing inspiration to continue on her path to be independent again. She also expresses her power through poetry and through participation in Project HOME’s advocacy efforts.
Her art and her community at Project HOME are part of what sustains her. “I want my art to make an impact for people’s future.” She wants to use the blessings in her life to create a more hopeful and positive environment for fellow residents and for others in Philadelphia. Her own empowerment is a source of power for many of us in Project HOME.
Julia's story was included in our 25th Anniversary Gala book.
