“Don’t forget about these people”
MONDAY, AUG 18, 2025 • Vanna Le
Emily Burke didn’t know much about art or the elderly before working with For Love & Art.
“I think I would say I was probably, you know, a casual art enjoyer,” Burke laughed. “As far as elderly care, it was never something that I necessarily thought of.”
It’s a common thought (or lack of). Without the proper skills, it’s hard to see art past its surface, and the elderly demographic is often forgotten. But, for Burke, her thoughts changed when she found For Love & Art through her service learning class.
For Love & Art is a non-profit based in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area that brings art to senior care facilities across the metroplex. Their volunteers, Art Angels, showcase artworks from museums across DFW and encourage their audience to share their thoughts. Through this practice, seniors can turn their feelings of loneliness and boredom into happiness and love with the power of art appreciation.
She first heard of the organization during her time at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), where she got her marketing degree. In Spring of 2024, she took MANA 3319 Contemporary Management Challenges with Dr. Correy Retzloff, who integrated service learning into the class. For Burke’s service learning project, she and her team reached out to For Love & Art offering to create social media content for the organization.
Surprisingly, Burke found herself deeply moved by their mission.
“[We] were, like, floored with how truly inspirational it was,” Burke recounts, “and so we just immediately hit the ground running, you know, making social media posts that we felt really could represent the good that they do for the community.”
When I asked why she was so moved, Burke said it all came back to her grandmother, who passed away just before the start of her service learning class. Burke’s grandmother suffered from strokes and Alzheimer’s—conditions common in senior care facilities. When Burke worked with these seniors, she saw the last visages of her grandmother.
“I feel like I can connect with these senior citizens in the way that, you know, maybe I don’t get to connect with my grandmother anymore,” Burke explained.
Burke’s emotional tie to For Love & Art and their mission is what prompted her to stay at the non-profit even after graduating. While working with the organization, Burke realized her dream of uplifting underserved businesses, and For Love & Art was the perfect place to start. There, she manages the public relations and marketing with the goal of expanding For Love & Art’s scope.
A big part of her job is raising awareness for senior care. While working on her service learning project, Burke realized seniors are facing a quality of life crisis. Seniors are often lonely and isolated. Many of them haven’t seen their families in years. It’s another reason why she feels so strongly about For Love & Art’s mission. With art, they can help seniors who yearn for company and beauty—things some of us take for granted.
“Don't forget about these people,” Burke said, “just because, you know, we see them as adults, that doesn't mean that we can just let them go.”
Compared to her time as a student, Burke’s current role is much more fulfilling. As a student, Burke’s responsibilities were limited to making social media content. Now, Burke is more involved, spreading awareness, and fundraising money. It’s work that gives tangible results, and it makes Burke much more satisfied with her role.
“Knowing that what I'm doing helps impact people in their day-to-day lives…it adds so much more purpose to my life,” she enthused, “It feels good to get up and go to work.”
For the time being, Burke has no intentions of leaving For Love & Art. Even if she did, she’s confident she’ll find her way back to the non-profit whether it be as a donor or a volunteer.
“I'm really thankful for the opportunity to take part in a service learning project. I think service learning teaches us that you get that dream job one day, but you can also use your skills for a non-profit organization to help other people for a cause that you're really passionate about.”
Contact Emily Burke here: