Oh, the days after Valentine’s when everything is still covered in red and pink. Valentine’s is second only to Christmas in covering everything in shades of red, and second only to Thanksgiving as a time of giving to those you truly love and, well, giving to others as well.
One can remember those days of being excited to sit down with a box of class Valentine cards and carefully select each card for members of your class, your teacher, your Sunday school class, and many more. But, do we still approach giving with that same excitement on Valentine’s as adults today?
We have often shared that we are very lucky that our student instructors not only teach art education in the forms of art, drama, dance and martial arts, but that they are strong male and female role models for the students in their classes.
Karate classes that end in prayer for our students and their families, and high-fives after art class are weekly rituals at CARE. A perfect example of this is a project recently completed by our afterschool art students. In the spirit of Valentine’s giving, they colored and painted gifts for the residents of the TGH Extended Care Facility. The goal was a small picture to brighten the rooms of residents that might not get a Valentine’s gift from their loved ones. The students eagerly embraced this project and were excited when their creations were presented to Donna Ryals just in time to hang for Valentine’s Day.
A little paint, a few crayons, copies and construction paper quickly turned into so much more and were given with the same excitement as when you carefully selected that perfect class Valentine card. We hope you enjoy your days after Valentine’s and your time of giving.
And, we hope to see your students in our student afterschool programs soon!
