Hockaday Junior Inspires Confidence Through Arts Nonprofit

What started as a Preston Hollow effort has expanded to five chapters

Hockaday School junior Madeleine Chen founded VisionsForConfidence, a nonprofit dedicated to boosting confidence in youth through fine arts education.

She started the organization alongside former Hockaday classmate Elizabeth Echt, who now lives in Wyoming. Chen, a lifelong dancer, and Echt, a longtime musician, joined forces to spread their passions with those who haven’t had the same opportunities.

“We wanted to start this organization because we realized that there was a really big need for fine arts education and to help people with their mental health,” Chen said.

VisionsForConfidence hosts weekly programs at T.R. Hoover Community Center and previously did so at the George H.W. Bush Elementary School in south Dallas to teach art, music, and dance to students after school. 

The nonprofit began with the Preston Hollow chapter, founded in 2020, and has expanded to Parish Episcopal School, Bishop Lynch High School, and Booker T. Washington School for the Performing and Visual Arts. 

In September, the nonprofit expanded beyond Dallas with a chapter in Los Angeles.

“They’re all working on being able to showcase the kids that they work with [and] their art at galleries,” Chen said. “They’re working on trying to get them as many opportunities as possible [and] getting to meet people who are also really involved in the arts.”

Volunteers create awareness and support the mission through dance lessons, fundraising events, merchandise sales, giveback program partners, and clothing drives. 

Echt also donates a portion of her Spotify proceeds to the organization.

So far, the team has raised about $33,000. Part of the funding goes toward the VisionsForConfidence scholarship program, which has sponsored six students so far.

Chen hopes the organization can expand internationally in the next couple of years. The team is working on a program to launch in the Galapagos Islands with its only bilingual school to provide humanitarian and fine arts support. 

“We want to do the same thing that we’re doing in the Galapagos over multiple parts of the globe,” Chen said. “We just want to expand as much as possible and increase our influence over the next couple of years.”