The print release date is May 15, 2024 but you can pre-order now. Each Limited Edition print is autographed by Gianna Simone and also signed by the artist Nicole Troup. Every print sold benefits the “Gianna Simone Foundation.” (the print image is 8x10 inches and includes a 1 inch white border. They do not include a matte or frame).
(written source from a Harper’s Bazaar interview with Simone)
The Gianna Simone foundation provides rescue as well as support to abused and neglected people and animals, to help them feel loved, supported and safe for the first time in their lives. She decided to offer her experience, resources, and time to start a foundation based on the change and improvement in certain areas she wanted to see. One area she wanted to see change in was improving foster youth’s lives, especially while in the state’s custody. Because Gianna was in foster care growing up, she knew, from firsthand experience, the pain and fear that comes with going through the process. "It took one person to show me love and compassion, and it changed my life for the better." That is what she hopes to do for the youth she encounters through her foundation’s work, eventually hoping to see foster care become a thing of the past. A friend of hers, who also has a big heart for foster youth said to her, “If every church in America takes in just one child, foster care wouldn’t have to exist” An average church consists of approximately 200 people. That’s 200 people, or opportunities, to care for just one child. It can be done. The Gianna Simone Foundation also provides assistance and relief services for victims of sex-trafficking, which in America stems mainly from the foster care system.
Gianna Simone’s Story
(written source from a Harper’s Bazaar interview with Simone)
Overcoming great obstacles of her past Gianna found great strength in acting. She has been in some of Hollywood’s biggest successes such as “Star Trek Into Darkness”, “I Can Only Imagine”, Garry Marshall’s “Mother’s Day”, “Unbroken Path To Redemption”, "God's Not Dead 2", "God Bless the Broken Road", & "Run the Race" to name a few.
Born into a world of strife, Gianna Simone found herself being passed from family to family in Boston’s inner-city foster care system at age 14. Taken out of her home by the Department of Social Services, she wound up at a girls’ home in Chelsea, Massachusetts, where she was rotated with six other girls. “Everyone would want babies, but not a 14-year-old teenager,” says Simone.
“Girls would come and go, some would run away, or find other placements. It was a really fearful, dark, and turbulent time in my life.”
She endured through abuse, fear and feelings of hopelessness, something the actress, who, in a strange life twist stars in Mother’s Day alongside Julia Roberts and Kate Hudson, says no one should go through, let alone children. “On most nights, I would sleep with my phone and knife nearby,” she reveals.
Despite these obstacles in her life she found ways to overcome the hardships. Gianna explains,"I worked out at a local gym, to get my anger out and to become physically and mentally tougher. While going to the gym, I became friends with the owner, Kathy DeMarco, who took me under her wing and decided to go about the process of adopting me. She was with me for the transition into foster care, and would attend court every few months in trying to obtain custody. She passed away just before the court was about to grant her custody. She was my guardian angel, and I am thankful for the love she showed me, because it transformed me, and eventually came to change my heart. She was both a maternal and paternal figure in my life. She taught me the love of God. She would take me to church with her and I learned how God saw us, which changed how I saw myself. I share my story, not to gain pity, but to share hope, and how anyone, with love and care, can transform another person’s life for the better. I have had several angels in my life who have helped me in many ways throughout the tough journey, including my birth father, and my friend Bill Heavener, who both guided me and supported me in a similar way to how Kathy did. My father was dealing with his own struggles [when I was taken by Department of Social Services] and wasn’t able to take me away from the abuse. He also wasn’t aware of what was going on. I want to inspire others with the fact that I went through some pretty painful times and came out of it. One day I may elaborate more publicly but for now I hope this is enough for people to feel inspired. Being placed into foster care as well as the experiences that followed played a large part of my young adult life. Despite how difficult and hopeless it was at times, my experiences have shaped me for the better in many ways. It ultimately taught me empathy and invaluable lessons only learned through adversity."
TWO WAYS TO HELP: Purchase a print or donate directly to the Gianna Simone Foundation
The print release date is May 15, 2024 but you can pre-order now. Each Limited Edition print is autographed by Gianna Simone and also signed by the artist Nicole Troup. Every print sold benefits the “Gianna Simone Foundation.” (the print image is 8x10 inches and includes a 1 inch white border. They do not include a matte or frame).
About the Gianna Simone Foundation
(written source from a Harper’s Bazaar interview with Simone)
The Gianna Simone foundation provides rescue as well as support to abused and neglected people and animals, to help them feel loved, supported and safe for the first time in their lives. She decided to offer her experience, resources, and time to start a foundation based on the change and improvement in certain areas she wanted to see. One area she wanted to see change in was improving foster youth’s lives, especially while in the state’s custody. Because Gianna was in foster care growing up, she knew, from firsthand experience, the pain and fear that comes with going through the process. "It took one person to show me love and compassion, and it changed my life for the better." That is what she hopes to do for the youth she encounters through her foundation’s work, eventually hoping to see foster care become a thing of the past. A friend of hers, who also has a big heart for foster youth said to her, “If every church in America takes in just one child, foster care wouldn’t have to exist” An average church consists of approximately 200 people. That’s 200 people, or opportunities, to care for just one child. It can be done. The Gianna Simone Foundation also provides assistance and relief services for victims of sex-trafficking, which in America stems mainly from the foster care system.
Gianna Simone’s Story
(written source from a Harper’s Bazaar interview with Simone)
Overcoming great obstacles of her past Gianna found great strength in acting. She has been in some of Hollywood’s biggest successes such as “Star Trek Into Darkness”, “I Can Only Imagine”, Garry Marshall’s “Mother’s Day”, “Unbroken Path To Redemption”, "God's Not Dead 2", "God Bless the Broken Road", & "Run the Race" to name a few.
Born into a world of strife, Gianna Simone found herself being passed from family to family in Boston’s inner-city foster care system at age 14. Taken out of her home by the Department of Social Services, she wound up at a girls’ home in Chelsea, Massachusetts, where she was rotated with six other girls. “Everyone would want babies, but not a 14-year-old teenager,” says Simone.
She endured through abuse, fear and feelings of hopelessness, something the actress, who, in a strange life twist stars in Mother’s Day alongside Julia Roberts and Kate Hudson, says no one should go through, let alone children. “On most nights, I would sleep with my phone and knife nearby,” she reveals.
Despite these obstacles in her life she found ways to overcome the hardships. Gianna explains,"I worked out at a local gym, to get my anger out and to become physically and mentally tougher. While going to the gym, I became friends with the owner, Kathy DeMarco, who took me under her wing and decided to go about the process of adopting me. She was with me for the transition into foster care, and would attend court every few months in trying to obtain custody. She passed away just before the court was about to grant her custody. She was my guardian angel, and I am thankful for the love she showed me, because it transformed me, and eventually came to change my heart. She was both a maternal and paternal figure in my life. She taught me the love of God. She would take me to church with her and I learned how God saw us, which changed how I saw myself. I share my story, not to gain pity, but to share hope, and how anyone, with love and care, can transform another person’s life for the better. I have had several angels in my life who have helped me in many ways throughout the tough journey, including my birth father, and my friend Bill Heavener, who both guided me and supported me in a similar way to how Kathy did. My father was dealing with his own struggles [when I was taken by Department of Social Services] and wasn’t able to take me away from the abuse. He also wasn’t aware of what was going on. I want to inspire others with the fact that I went through some pretty painful times and came out of it. One day I may elaborate more publicly but for now I hope this is enough for people to feel inspired. Being placed into foster care as well as the experiences that followed played a large part of my young adult life. Despite how difficult and hopeless it was at times, my experiences have shaped me for the better in many ways. It ultimately taught me empathy and invaluable lessons only learned through adversity."
Gianna Simone Movies