Healthcare, One Square at a Time
Published Monday, October 5, 2026
A community art project is coming together one square at a time in support of the Northern Cancer Fund for breast cancer. For a $20 donation, participants can paint a piece of the mural featuring original artwork by local artist Vik Wilen.
There is something special about watching a piece of art come together, but this fall, one local painting will be completed a little differently — one square, one person and one $20 donation at a time.
The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation is inviting the community to take part in a unique community art project in support of the Northern Cancer Fund for breast cancer.
Local artist Vik Wilen created a beautiful original piece of art for the project, which has now been transformed into a 5' x 3' paint-by-number mural made up of individual squares. Members of the community can make a $20 donation, choose a square to paint and add their own small piece to the larger work of art.
And you definitely don't need to consider yourself an artist to participate.
One of the best parts of this project is that there really is no way to "ruin" the painting. Each square comes with its own paint-by-number guide, and there are options for every skill level. Some are more detailed for those looking to put their artistic abilities to the test, while others need only one or two colours. Somewhere in the mural, the perfect square is waiting for you.
As more people participate, those individual squares will slowly come together to reveal Wilen's complete artwork.
Once the mural is finished, the completed piece will be auctioned off, creating another opportunity to raise funds through the project.
Bump Worldwide has joined the initiative as the project's Hope Sponsor, helping bring this community experience to life and encouraging people across Thunder Bay to pick up a paintbrush for a cause that impacts so many local families.
Every dollar raised through the project will support the Northern Cancer Fund for breast cancer. Funds donated to the Northern Cancer Fund stay right here in Northwestern Ontario, helping ensure patients can access exceptional cancer care, equipment and services close to home at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
For many people, breast cancer has touched the life of someone they know and love. This project offers a simple and meaningful way to honour those connections while becoming part of something much bigger.
The community can help paint the mural at Hospital Paintillio pop-up days every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until October 16. It will then make its way to the Tbaytel Luncheon of Hope presented by Alterna Savings on October 16, where guests can help complete the remaining squares.
For $20, you can paint one small piece of the picture and support local breast cancer care. To reserve a square, email me at haley.werbowetski@healthsciencesfoundation.ca.
Article by Haley Werbowetski, Manager, Events, Health Sciences Foundation