Happy New Year & Happy Black History Month! 

We hope everyone had a safe past year! It’s 2021 and we couldn’t be more excited to start! It was a rough landing, but we made it. Again, we just wanted to thank you all for the end of year fundraiser efforts. We have been able to continue to evolve throughout these unprecedented times.

Special thanks to our Board of Directors for making a valiant effort towards our end of year giving campaign. We, as an organization, are truly thankful for everyone that has been standing strong with us!

Here’s a brief update!

Education

Before the holiday, I reached out to 16 schools within Charleston and Berkeley county with hopes at reintroducing our programming back in the schools, mainly virtually. So far, we have Angel Oak ElementaryFrierson ElementaryMeeting Street Academy, and Charleston Development Academy all slated for virtual instruction this month. We will be teaching coding, fashion design, and digital photography. We are looking forward to re-engaging our students.

Calling all media artists! We are in need of Graphic Designers, Digital Photographers, and any willing media artist with a desire to teach! All instructors are compensated! If you’re able to dedicate at least 45mins to 1hour out of your week, let us know!

Partnerships 

As we all know, it has been extremely difficult getting back into schools. So, we’ve developed a dialogue with local organizations that work within our students’ neighborhood. Engagement is key! It literally takes a village and we are one village!

Every Thursday, we will be implementing our first virtual instruction with Metanoia Youth Leadership Academy.  The programming will consist of fashion design and digital photography with K-12 students.

Also, we have been building a relationship with Art Pot, an organization that serves the Hispanic community by providing unique and meaningful arts programming for all children. We are working on a proposal is blend and align our missions.

Both organizations are excited to work together to help strengthen, uplift, embrace, and build our young intellects.

Again, we do have a future. It will be different, and it will be better. we know this because we know you, our donors, sponsors, and instructors, care so much about our young, talented, and energetic students. Together we will develop a better future.

Best,

Greg Colleton
Executive Director