Suzy Karpf has long believed that creativity is one of the most powerful tools a child can have — a belief that led her, more than a decade ago, to volunteer with Loop It Up Savannah, a beloved local nonprofit dedicated to bringing arts, enrichment, and hands-on learning to children throughout the city. What began with book drives, garden projects, and community art activities soon grew into a deeper commitment. Today, Suzy has served on the organization’s board for three years and currently acts as its secretary, helping support programs that reach thousands of students across Savannah.

Loop It Up’s mission is expansive and vibrant, and Suzy has had a front-row seat to its impact. In addition to its creative enrichment programming, the organization operates three core initiatives that meet children at multiple stages of growth.
• Looping Literacy Together, the organization’s early literacy program, serves roughly 1,400 Pre-K through first-grade students each year and helps build home libraries by providing about 7,000 books to kindergarteners through its annual Book Box Library project.
• Mindfulness Zone, a multi-layered mindfulness and social-emotional learning curriculum, reaches about 7,800 early learning, elementary, and middle school students annually—helping them gain the emotional resiliency and coping skills essential to thriving in and out of the classroom.
• And School Gardens and Steam Dream,  an arts integration and project-based enrichment, program where Loop It Up helps oversee 34 school gardens across the Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools System, transforming outdoor classrooms into places where science, nutrition, collaboration, creativity, and environmental stewardship come to life.

Loop It Up also partners with the SCCPSS 21st Century Program, offering cross-curricular enrichment after school and throughout the summer — giving kids opportunities to create, explore, and discover in ways that go far beyond textbooks.

Recent community partnerships have stretched across Savannah’s cultural and ecological landscape. From the Fort Pulaski Junior Ranger Angler summer program to collaborations with the Ships of the Sea Museum, Oceana, and Gray’s Reef Whale Week, Loop It Up brings creativity to unexpected places, helping children connect with art, nature, and their community all at once.

For Suzy, this work isn’t just a personal passion — it’s a family affair. Her husband and two teenage sons often volunteer alongside her, helping Loop It Up extend its reach at events and programs throughout the city. She credits founder and executive director Molly Lieberman for the organization’s warm spirit and contagious enthusiasm. “Molly brings an energy that makes you want to jump in and help,” Suzy says with admiration. “We’re proud to be involved.”

This February, Suzy is helping bring even more community support to Loop It Up Savannah — and to Union Mission’s Magdalene House — through The Market at 3 West Ridge, a beloved annual fundraiser hosted by St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Featuring more than twenty curated vendors from around the country, The Market offers boutique shopping, a vibrant spring plant sale, and a delicious luncheon. All proceeds from vendor sales, sponsorships, ticket admissions, plant sales, and the luncheon directly support the two beneficiary nonprofits. Since 2012, The Market has raised $225,000 for at-risk children’s charities in Savannah, and both Loop It Up and Magdalene House will be the recipients of the 2026 event.

Suzy encourages Ardsley Park neighbors to attend, volunteer, or simply spread the word. With nearly 800 shoppers and more than 120 volunteers each year, the event is both a fun community tradition and an impactful fundraiser — typically raising between $65,000 and $70,000. “Your participation at The Market helps ensure organizations like Loop It Up and Magdalene House can continue meeting essential needs in our community,” Suzy says.

Whether it’s planting a seed in a school garden, hosting an art activity at a festival, distributing books to young readers, or supporting the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the programs running, Suzy loves witnessing the joy and confidence these moments spark in local kids. Her dedication — and her family’s — is a reminder of how community involvement, creativity, and compassion can work together to make a city blossom.