Sunday, April 11, 2010

Gold Awardee Uses Art to Give Back to Community

Jasmine employed her love of art to give back to her community through her Gold Award project. Her goal was to educate children on how to express themselves through creative art projects. Another objective was to teach herself leadership skills, which she accomplished by coordinating a team of volunteers to help carry out her vision and by soliciting donations for supplies. Jasmine challenged herself and her students with unique twists on simple art forms, for example, “green” beading using recycled pre-cut bottles instead of expensive beads to make bracelets. Towards the end of the program, she knew it had been a success by the excitement and anticipation of the children, who would greet her with hugs whenever they saw her coming to teach a class. “My project taught me patience and that by focusing on my goals, I could make a difference my community,” stated Jasmine. 

She is a senior at John Carroll Catholic High School and the daughter of Cassandra of Birmingham.