“If healing is a right, not a privilege, then the road must rise to meet us.”
FELLOW FEATURE: April Fitzpatrick "Pineapple Lady"
Fellow Features spotlight the work of ILI Fellows through their own voices
What if healing met you where you were? Not in the form of prescription bottles or diagnoses, but as paintbrushes, paint, paper, and pineapples. What if healing arrived ready to meet people where they are, with what they need…without asking them to enter unfamiliar, institutional spaces? That’s the mission of Wellness on Wheels (W.O.W.).
W.O.W. is a mobile healing initiative that brings art, healing justice, and community wellness to people and places. It reimagines healing by creating accessible, mobile spaces where communities can engage with their histories, express their feelings, and reclaim their health. Art has always been a tool for survival, resistance, and joy. It has carried our stories when words failed, nurtured our spirits when systems tried to erase us, and created spaces of belonging in a world that often denies it. We believe that healing through art should be as easy and natural as breathing, a right, not a reward.
Yet we also know the truth. Sadly, accessibility is not distributed equally. For many communities, especially Black, Indigenous, and historically marginalized groups access to healing, creative expression, and mental health resources has been made intentionally difficult.
Historical systems of racism, economic disenfranchisement, segregation, and cultural erasure have turned what should be simple acts of care into nearly impossible feats. In too many places, reaching healing feels like training for the Olympics, exhausting, competitive, full of obstacles, and reserved for the few who “make it through.”
We refuse to accept that reality as reality, and we work to create various pathways of engagement and embrace alternative ways of knowing. Wellness on Wheels (W.O.W.) exists because we believe healing should come to the people, not wait for them to scale barriers to reach it. By mobilizing art, storytelling, and community-centered healing, we aim to make creative wellness a need, not a race, not a test, not a privilege.
As our nation continues to grapple with the mental health crisis, we must prioritize holistic, art inspired, community-centered solutions. Wellness on Wheels embodies this approach, creating a new vision for how we can address mental health, racial trauma, and healing in ways that are culturally relevant, accessible, and rooted in community power.
The Vision Behind W.O.W.
Wellness on Wheels was born out of a deep desire for equity in care. We live in a world where access to wellness and healing is often restricted to those who can afford it or navigate complex systems. W.O.W. flips that script. We offer healing where it’s needed most, in communities that have long been neglected by traditional healthcare systems.
The heart of W.O.W. is mobility. We bring art-based therapeutic experiences directly to the streets, parks, and community centers of neighborhoods that are historically underfunded and overlooked. This isn’t just about creating access to services, it’s about creating healing spaces that are rooted in culture, that invite people to engage with their community, and who support people in reimagining their own wellness.
The mission is simple: We want to create spaces where people feel heard, seen, and celebrated, not just as patients, but as the creative, resilient individuals and communities they are.
Many communities across the U.S. are marginalized not just by economic systems but by healthcare and wellness systems that fail to meet them where they are. This includes rural towns, and urban neighborhoods grappling with the impacts of gentrification, and spaces marked by environmental neglect and systemic violence. These communities have long been overlooked, left to fend for themselves in ways that undermine their health, culture, and wellbeing. With W.O.W., we are here to change that narrative.
We’re not waiting for people to come to us, we’re going to them, creating pop-up experiences that empower people to take their wellness into their own hands. The mission is simple: We want to create spaces where people feel heard, seen, and celebrated, not just as patients, but as the creative, resilient individuals and communities they are.
Why Mobility Matters
In many ways, the mobility of W.O.W. reflects an ancestral tradition of healing that has always been on the move. Healing in Black communities has never been confined to a single space. From the porch gatherings of Black families to the praise houses that served as places of refuge, our healing practices have always existed in the streets, at community gatherings, and in spaces built through collective love and care. W.O.W. seeks to tap into that wisdom.
In a world that often treats healing as a luxury, W.O.W. insists that healing is a right. And it doesn’t always belong behind institutional walls. The ability to access care, comfort, and self-expression shouldn’t require navigating complex systems. I often wonder could it be as easy as walking down the street, visiting a local park, or connecting with a neighbor?
By merging healing with an open studio approach, we not only reduce barriers to access but also create multiple entry points. W.O.W. isn’t just offering a service; we’re offering a conversation. We’re inviting people to engage with their healing process on their own terms, outside of the sometimes cold, clinical environment that many historical institutions have presented.
When we talk about mobility, we’re also talking about narrative reclamation. Communities that have been underserved by the traditional mental health system often have their stories dismissed or misunderstood. W.O.W. seeks to center those stories, offering a space where people can reflect on their lived experiences, learn new healing tools, and understand how art and wellness can come together to change the narrative.
Who We Serve
At its core, W.O.W. is about honoring the brilliance of Black communities, taking a strengths based approach to well being. For too long, these communities have been painted as broken, but we know the truth, they are beautiful, powerful, creative, and filled with wisdom. The work we do with W.O.W. centers this truth; we don’t see people as victims of trauma but as storytellers, culture bearers, healers, guides, connectors, motivators, creators, who carry the weight of history with grace and strength.
Wellness on Wheels is designed for those who are often overlooked, unheard, or underserved, individuals and communities carrying heavy histories and tender hopes. In recent years, I have reflected deeply about the populations I have served and their communities. This is not an exhaustive list, but here is where I have seen a need:
- Communities impacted by racial injury, creating spaces where the unspoken can be named, and where healing isn’t clinical or cold, but creative, collective, and alive.
- College campuses, holding space for students and faculty alike, many of whom are carrying generational trauma, racial stress, and the daily weight of survival in systems that were not built for them.
- Health institutions and community centers, infusing art and culture into wellness strategies that are too often rigid, impersonal, or disconnected from the people they intend to serve.
- Survivors of state and interpersonal violence, offering gentle, creative tools to process trauma and rebuild self-trust through color, story, and sensory expression.
- Creatives on the edge of burnout, offering an opportunity to pour back into themselves, to rest, reflect, and create without demand.
- Young people exploring identity and generational healing, offering art as a tool for understanding who they are, where they come from, and what they want to build.
- Parents, especially those trying to write new narratives for their children, ones that center healing, resilience, joy, and the freedom to dream.
- And we most likely serve you TOO!
These communities, and many more, are at the heart of W.O.W. We offer accessible, creative healing experiences that empower individuals and communities to reclaim their wellness, joy, and creative power.
Pineapples as Portals to Healing
The pineapple has become a powerful symbol of healing within this work, but its journey as a symbol is far from straightforward. Once a symbol of wealth and status, the pineapple today is reimagined as a symbol of self actualization, abundance, and collective liberation.
Pineapples grow slowly, taking up to three years to mature, which serves as a reminder that deep healing is a process. Like the pineapple, our healing journeys take time, and the richness of that process is revealed only after we’ve allowed ourselves to grow and evolve.
The core of the pineapple represents our inner superpower. Just as bromelain, an enzyme found at the center of the fruit, holds healing properties, so too do we carry within us powerful gifts, our strengths, talents, and passions.It is at this inner core where we tap into what fuels us, the source of our creativity, our purpose, our ability to heal and keep going. When we connect with that inner truth, we become unstoppable. We begin to attract what sustains us and shed what no longer serves us.
The crown of the pineapple is a symbol of self-empowerment, post-traumatic growth, and creative regulation. It reminds us of our ability to grow in harsh conditions, to rise above obstacles, and to thrive. As we continue to move forward, we make room for our crown essentially making room for one another.
Case Study: W.O.W. in Action at the Ocala Cultural Arts Center
One of the most powerful examples of W.O.W.’s impact came during our partnership with the City of Ocala’s Cultural Arts Division and the Mary Sue Rich Community Center. This space, formerly a site of racial and environmental harm, now serves as a symbol of resilience and renewal. Over the course of six months, we held an exhibition and led a weekend art-making workshop combined with storytelling and wellness activities that invited participants to reclaim their stories and their health. Partnership Support Letter_ Emily Parkman.pdf
The pineapple became a central symbol of this work, representing not just healing, but the coming together of communities with shared histories. Through art, community dialogue, and collective storytelling, W.O.W. brought people together to heal and build stronger, more connected communities.
15 Fun Pineapple Facts
1. Pineapples are known as collective fruits as 200 individual flowers fuse together to form on berry what we know as the pineapple, also known as the “collective fruit”
2. Pineapples can take up to 3 years to fully mature
3. The pineapple only grows from the crown of another pineapple
4. Pineapple skin has many health benefits and can be used to make pineapple tea or wine
5. The pineapple means excellent fruit or perfect one when given to someone
6. Pineapples can only grow one fruit at a time
7. Pineapples can live up to 50 years in the wild
8. Pineapples contain the enzyme bromelain, which can reduces inflammation and prevents development of blood clots
9. Pineapples were a symbol of wealth, status, and fruit of commodity
10. Pineapples can be used as a meat tenderizer
11. Pineapple prefers slightly acidic soil
12. Hummingbirds are the most common known pollinator of the pineapple
13. Pineapple is the only edible fruit of the bromeliad family
14. Pineapples were placed on stakes by slave ship captains to show that they were open for the business of selling their slave cargo.
15. The inflorescence emergence of the pineapple is called the “red heart”
The pineapple is a symbol of collective healing, resilience, and transformation. Together, we can create a future where healing is not just an individual pursuit but a collective journey. Let’s meet healing where it lives: in the streets, on the porches, under the trees, and in the hearts of our communities.
How You Can Support W.O.W.
W.O.W. is just getting started. To help expand this work and bring healing to more communities, we need your support:
- Book W.O.W. to visit your city or community space
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- Book for speaking engagements
- Donate to support transportation, materials, and operations
- Partner with us for pop-ups and Pineapple Talks
- Purchase original artwork to support the mission and artist
- Sponsor a Pineapple Wellness Kit for community members
- Book for speaking engagements
- Sponsor a bundle course
- Donate to Pineapples with Purpose
Every act of support brings us closer to creating a world where wellness is accessible to all, no matter where they live. To see work and purchase art, check out these sites.
https://pineappleswithpurpose.my.canva.site/ladypineapple