OPERATION WE CARE

By Riselle Abrams
President Elect  M.A.E.A.

     The Maryland Art Education Association has partnered up with the Pennsylvania Art Ed. Assoc. to bring relief to art educators that were displaced and affected by Hurricane Katrina. Pennsylvania adopted a school district and had originally shipped art supplies but the shipping has proven to be very costly. The M.A.E.A decided to adopt Ocean Springs School District in Mississippi. This district is comprised of nine schools which includes: six elementary schools, two middle schools and a high school. We have been collecting funds to send gift certificates for art supplies from Sax Arts and Crafts after it was discovered that the art teachers were living in trailers and had only paper and crayons with which to teach Art. Any donation will be accepted from one dollar, five dollars, ten dollars or whatever you can spare.

     At the Fall Conference at Towson University in October, approximately fifty dollars was collected to send to our fellow art educators. The first certificate was sent to an elementary art teacher named Debbie Cotton of Pecan Park Elementary School. A second gift certificate for art supplies was sent to Magnolia Grove Elementary School through donations from  Anne Arundel County Elementary Art teachers organized by Denise Levitine.

     Our goal is to send at least a fifty dollar gift certificate for art supplies to each of the nine teachers in the Ocean Springs school district.  Several art teachers have expressed an interest and mentioned that their National Art Honor Societies could hold fundraisers. Won’t you help our fellow art educators by donating? Would you want to teach art with just paper and crayons? Let’s show them that we (Marylanders) care!

Please send donations or contact Riselle Abrams at (rabrams@comcast.net) or Timber Grove Elem. 701 Academy Ave. Owings Mills, MD. 21117   

Thanks for caring!!!! Let us know what you are planning!