Heartbreaker Tattoo and Artist Co-op, a trade name of La Rompe Corazones LLC, is expanding its community advocacy beyond its studio walls with Spokane Strong, a two-day event designed to connect wildfire survivors with recovery resources, services, and support, scheduled Sept. 19-20 from noon to 8 p.m. at North Central High School.

The free event, at 1600 N. Howard, will bring nonprofit organizations, businesses, government agencies, recovery professionals, and other service providers together in one location and raise money for wildfire recovery efforts.

The idea for the fundraiser and resources event emerged while co-owners Ilia Standish and Tylor Buttolph were driving to work and saw wildfire smoke filling the horizon on Aug. 1, Standish explains.

“It was an emotional thing to see,” Standish says. “I immediately thought, what can we do to help them?”

What began as an idea for a tattoo fundraiser event featuring Heartbreaker's artists tattooing people on-site with a portion of proceeds donated to wildfire relief efforts, has quickly grown as the entrepreneurs contacted regional organizations for participation.

Participating organizations and event partners include Second Harvest Inland Northwest, Habitat for Humanity, the Spokane Conservation District, and the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, which are providing information and resources for the event. 

SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. will be on-site with supplies and information to help affected families with pet needs. TW Renovations, of Great Falls, Montana, has signed up to provide information about restoration and rebuilding. Wildfire survivors also will find assistance based on their individual circumstances at the event.

“Whatever it is that they went through, I want them to be able to go through this event and find a booth that will give them exactly the resource that they need,” Standish says.

Food, live music, children’s activities, animal resources, essential supplies, and other community offerings are planned. Standish is working to provide free meals on-site as well.

 Both Standish and Buttolph say they're determined to use their business as a platform for work that reaches beyond tattooing.

“Our passion is community and activism,” Standish says. “We’re trying to foster long-term relationships with everyone we’re contacting now, so that we can continue to impact the community in ways that aren’t tattoos.”

Heartbreaker integrates community advocacy directly into its business operations, championing projects focused on mental health, addiction recovery, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people. The studio has provided more than 100 free, red hand tattoos associated with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people movement, Standish says.

Before entering the tattoo industry, Standish worked as a software developer at DreamWorks, where she worked on the “Shrek,” “Madagascar,” “Kung Fu Panda,” and “How to Train Your Dragon” franchises for about 15 years, she says. Her work previously involved developing digital tools that artists used to create animated films. Those technical skills now help her handle Heartbreaker’s website, graphic design, promotional materials, and other media.

Opening a tattoo studio has allowed her to return to the artistic interests she had before working in software development.

For Buttolph, his motivation is simple, and much of his drive as an artist and activist is inspired by his son, Trace, he explains. 

“My community is my family,” he says. “These are my neighbors. These are my relatives. These are my cousins.”

Spokane Strong is another extension of that community-focused approach, he says.

Buttolph has worked supporting the American Indian Movement of Montana and MMIW advocacy efforts extensively. Spokane Strong is extending relief efforts to include the Spokane Tribe and other Indigenous, rural, and regional communities affected by wildfires, in addition to those impacted by the Spokane Complex Fires.

“They’re part of our communities as well,” Buttolph says.

The broader approach supporting wildfire relief comes as recovery organizations prepare for expanding needs across Eastern Washington.

Innovia Foundation maintains wildfire funds supporting immediate response and long-term recovery in the region. Its Eastern Washington Wildfire Fund supports organizations working with wildfire-affected communities across 10 counties, while its Spokane Complex Wildfire Response Fund focuses on individuals and families affected by the Spokane area fires, according to the organization's website.

More than $4 million has been donated to wildfire response and recovery funds through the group, according to a recent report from Innovia. The nonprofit also administers the Karen Worthy Memorial Community Fund, established by Spokane developer Walt Worthy in memory of his late wife. The memorial fund offers a one-time, unrestricted $10,000 grant for eligible households whose primary residences were destroyed or deemed total losses in the August fires.

For Heartbreaker, Buttolph says rebuilding communities will take far longer than a single weekend.

“We realize that this is a long-term effort,” Buttolph says. “It’s not something that is going to just end with this event. This is going to be years in the works.”

Spokane native and former professional football player Levi Horn will be among those providing another type of support at the Spokane Strong event: mental health support.

Horn grew up in Spokane and played football at Rogers High School before attending the University of Oregon and transferring to the University of Montana. He played professionally with the Chicago Bears as an offensive lineman, and spent six seasons playing in the NFL, Canadian Football League, and Arena Football League. His path included growing up in poverty, experiencing intergenerational trauma, reaching his goal of playing professional football, and later navigating a traumatic brain injury and mental health challenges, he says. 

Those experiences now inform his work as a motivational speaker and mental performance coach. Horn will be available at Spokane Strong as a point of connection for people experiencing stress, trauma, and other mental health challenges. He says disasters can compound existing struggles, particularly after the immediate emergency passes and public attention begins moving elsewhere.

“It’s so important to know that you haven’t been forgotten,” Horn says. “These folks have only begun to reorganize their lives.”

Horn says his own experiences overcoming adversity enable him to help others identify obstacles, build confidence, and find ways to move forward. He's also looking forward to seeing survivors get an opportunity to reconnect with the greater community.

“I’d like to see a lot of smiles, jokes, and story telling, and people being able to make a connection,” Horn says.

Horn's emphasis on connection is at the center of what Standish and Buttolph say they hope to build through the event.

“Whether you need something or you have something to offer, we welcome the community on all levels,” Buttolph says.