It
all
started
one
night
when
Delaney
heard
her
mom
and
dad
talking
over
dinner
about
some
students
who
did
not
have
the
supplies
needed
for
basic
art
lessons.
Delaney,
a
second
grader
at
Leesylvania
Elementary
School,
offered
to
share
her
own
supplies.
Delaney
began
using
her
own
savings,
with
contributions
from
mom
and
dad,
to
purchase
art
supplies
and
create
art
kits
for
students
learning
at
home
who
could
not
afford
them.
Delaney,
who
her
mom
says
often
displays
thoughtfulness
and
generosity,
voluntarily
supports
the
family's
charity
work
and
thinks
of
others.
That
thoughtfulness
was
the
seed
for
a
project
that
has
blossomed
into
an
ongoing
effort
beyond
what
Delaney
and
her
family
could
have
imagined."It is a family effort," said Dr. Laura Cherry, art teacher at Fitzgerald Elementary School and mom to Delaney and her older brother, Jackson, an 11th grader at Hylton High School. "Our children have willingly given up pizza nights, movie nights, extra clothes and shoes, and special treats so that we can save money for art kits. Our entire family has agreed to make sacrifices so that students can have the art supplies they need."
To date, they have donated well over 300 boxes of crayons, packs of markers, art journals, and hundreds of pencils, erasers, glue sticks, and rulers, and counting. Family and friends and some strangers from around the world (as far away as Italy) have also donated supplies and funds to help. Recently, Delaney and her mom put together art kits that included watercolor paint, watercolor paper, chalk pastels, and black paper, and Delaney included a personal handwritten note. Her Girl Scout troop has also offered to help create art kits.
"Due to the pandemic, we are finding other ways to give back locally," said Dr. Cherry. "Creating art kits allows us to help our local community in a way that is meaningful to us. As an artist, art educator, and an art therapist, I understand the importance of art in the lives of children and the need for kids to be able to express themselves creatively during a time in which they may not have words to express how they feel. I believe that Delaney has intuitively picked up on the importance of art and the importance of giving back as well."