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Art Supplies for DC Youth Program

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In January 2016, we started a DC based non-profit organization called PAINTS Institute, which is committed to providing arts education to underserved youth in the Washington DC area.  Our mission is to “Create an Arts Ripple Effect” – To promote the ARTS as a catalyst for the healthy development of today's youth & enhance their abilities to positively impact their communities.

We firmly believe that the focus of youth education and curricula needs to shift from one about STEM to STEAM, the difference being the integration of ARTS into the equation.  Did you know that: (1) Arts students achieve significantly more positive developmental outcomes than their peers who do not pursue arts coursework; (2) Arts students do appear to experience positive developmental benefits from their arts study that extend beyond adolescence into adulthood; (3) Arts students were so much more optimistic about attending college, and that this optimism led to significantly increased likelihood to attend postsecondary school and earn a four-year degree is a powerful statement; and (4) Arts students may be more engaged in school than non-arts students.

For these, and a number of other reasons, we have committed to providing a 10-week Arts Leadership Program this Summer for approximately 20 DC Youth.  Our Program will provide the students with a variety of academic, competency, community service and experiential learning activities that are aimed at developing them as individuals.  They'll learn more about art technique, the business of arts (marketing, sales, social media, technology, copyrighting), financial & computer literacy, dressing for success, etiquette and health and wellness (nutrition, health screening, etc.).

The students will also be responsible, as a capstone to their participation in the Program, for creating their own original piece of artwork that will be showcased as part of an art collection at the historic Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. 

To do so, our plan is to provide each youth with their own art supply kit for the 10-week Program, a kit that contains all that they will need throughout the summer.  
Each art kit will contain: (1) a portable easel; (2) small and large stretched canvases; (3) a sketch book; (4) a creative writing notebook; (5) an acrylic paint set; and (6) paint brushes; and (7) a backpack for all of their supplies. 

The price for each art supply kit is approximately $210. 
Your contributions, of any amount, will go toward the purchase of the 20 art supply kits that we need for our Arts Leadership Program.  Our goal is the raise the money for the art supply kits ($4,200) by Monday, June 27th, 2016, in time to purchase the supplies for our Program to commence in June.

Your support and contributions will truly have a profound impact upon the lives of the youth, as well as our organization.  Not only will the kids be provided with supplies, but through the program the students will develop as individuals while contributing their artistic talents to impact the greater DC community with their artwork. 

I've seen the difference our Programming can have upon them, and invite you to do the same.  Each of you, along with your contributions, will receive an invitation to the Howard Theatre to see the impact of your contributions through their artwork showcase in late July 2016.  I promise, while the artwork will be amazing, seeing the glow of accomplishment and hope in their eyes is what will help you to see and know that you made the RIGHT investment!

While this may seem like a request for money to buy art supplies, I commit to you that it is much more.  Instead, I encourage you to see this as a commitment to the development of our youth through the arts.

I need your help, in whatever amounts you see fit to contribute toward helping us achieve our goal of raising $4,200 to purchase 20 art supply kits at approximately $210 each.

I'd like to sincerely thank you, in advance, for your thoughtful consideration of this request for financial support for our Program.  We're excited, and appreciate each and every one of you for your assistance.  Your contributions will truly make a difference . . .
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Donations 

  • Herbert Casey
    • $50 
    • 8 yrs
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Organizer

John Chisholm
Organizer
Washington D.C., DC

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