Staff, board and volunteers rallied together last weekend in support of Big Thought, Thriving Minds and SLANT 45 at the City Arts Festival. While students from Thriving Minds after-school at Titche Elementary performed a Jackson Five/Rockin' Robin tribute onstage in Centennial Hall, children and families gathered around the Big thought table to make pet rocks for the kiddos at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital.
In addition, representatives from the Super Bowl community service project, SLANT 45, were on hand to recruit and inform children and families about getting signed up and started on a service-learning project (you can sign up, too - right here!). And finally, we had a fantiastic children's art exhibit, sponsored by Prudential, that featured a mural, oil paintings, ceramics and reverse plexiglass portraits, among other things!
In addition, representatives from the Super Bowl community service project, SLANT 45, were on hand to recruit and inform children and families about getting signed up and started on a service-learning project (you can sign up, too - right here!). And finally, we had a fantiastic children's art exhibit, sponsored by Prudential, that featured a mural, oil paintings, ceramics and reverse plexiglass portraits, among other things!
It was three VERY busy days, but they were also very rewarding. One volunteer shared a heartwarming story about a shy 4-year-old who stopped by the table to make a pet rock. After some coaxing, he collaborated with this volunteer to make a fantastic concoction of googly eyes, pom-pom balls and feathers - in JUST the right places. His father and grandparents were very pleased to see him interacting, and told our volunteer so. Cool, huh?
If you missed the City Arts Festival, stay tuned to our events calendar for other opportunities to come out and see what's going on in your neighborhood through Thriving Minds, SLANT 45 and other programs. Stories like the ones above are what inspire us to continue exploring new ways to make imagination a part of everyday learning for everyone.
I love the way the pet rocks turned out!
ReplyDeleteThey were so cute, weren't they? Some were bunnies, some looked like muppets, and some were just completely silly! We're so glad the children at City Arts were so excited to make these - and then hand them over to be donated to children at TX Scottish Rite, too! Awesome.
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