Creative Kids Make a Difference, During World Refugee Week!

In honor of World Refugee Week, Big Picture Foundation kids in Rye, NY spearheaded a range of projects.  Some worked on helping the UNA-NYC build a school at a refugee camp in Kenya.    Others raised funds to enable collaborative Big Picture Foundation art programs in global underprivileged schools and refugee camps.  A group that included Syrian and American kids, spent a day together, meeting members of the EU parliament inside Shared Studios’ portal at the Rye Arts Center, followed by an afternoon at Rye Playland.  Finally, a Big Picture Foundation mother, organized a Dodgeball fundraiser, which will happen on Saturday.  The fundraiser will help Save the Children’s work with refugees:  http://www.savethechildren.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1172722&supid=447550764. Many Big Picture Foundation children helped the United Nations Association, NYC, raise funds to build the Furaha School at the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya.  Kids planned lunches and dinners and asked each guest to donate $25 towards the UNA’s school-building project:  http://bigpicturefoundation.com/2017/05/16/nigh-of-1000-dinners   Please read 6th grader, Lily S’s overview of Big Picture Foundation and Please watch our overview video

  Night of 1000 Dinners: by 6th grader, Lucca C Night of 1000 Dinners:  by 6th grader, Saedi G. At Saedi’s event, the kids worked on an alphabet mural that they will send as a friendship and goodwill gift to the Furaha School in Kenya. Also, Arun and Amar J. made a $100 donation toward the project.  They and Trey and Cody G. are planning upcoming dinners. A third group of kids ran a lemonade stand and raised $104 to help with Big Picture Foundation’s art programs at our linked refugee camps and underprivileged schools.   On Wednesday, June 21st, BPF “Friend Link” children, Chloe C., Delucia L., Sara A., Leen A, Emery T., Scarlett K, and Sam T. attended an event in the Rye Arts Center’s portal.  The portal connected with another portal at the European Union headquarters in Brussels (hosted by the Greens/EFA Group: https://www.greens-efa.eu/en/article/event/opening-the-doors-to-dialogue/  ).  The event was attended by Anne Heekin, PhD, Executive Director of The Don Bosco Community Center  in Port Chester, NY and Catherine Parker, our Westchester County Legislator.  Both have experience in the issues refugees are facing integrating into our community.   After the event in the portal, the “Friend Link” kids spent the afternoon together at Rye Playland.     Over the last year, Big Picture Foundation children have worked on  a range of initiatives, as a group and independently, to use art for local and global community building.  While over 200 kids submitted art for the Big Picture Foundation website, on June 4th, there was an awards ceremony at Rye Arts Center, specifically to honor the kids who led a range of initiatives for the organization.  Awards were given by Mayor Sack, by Ann Nicol, Executive Director of UNA-NYC, by Sandra Jackson-Dumont, Education Director at the Metropolitan Museum, by Hagar Hajjar Chemali, founder of Greenwich Media Strategies and former head of Syria and Lebanon for the National Security Council, by Evan Wies, founder of financial strategy firm, Neomantra, by Adam Levi, director of the Rye Arts Council, by Big Picture Foundation board president, Brit Foster Rothstein, and by Big Picture Foundation founder and president, Kim Tamalonis. See information about the June 4th awards ceremony. Big Picture Foundation welcomes support.  We need help to sustain our programs.  Thank you!  Please Support BPF   501(c)(3) status pending