Once again, we are blessed to have Sue Silverstein’s Friday column here on my blog. Next week, we’ll request your support for a Bishop Gibbons Amazon Art Supplies Wish List for the Fall. Sue’s lists are great fun; she is cautious about the price, and the supplies we send her will be transformed magically into great art by her 80 creative students—next Thursday or Friday for the Wish List.  I’ve helped with a score of these for Sue, and it is one of the most joyous and worthwhile things I have ever done. See you next week right here, Jon. And thanks for all the beautiful things in these boxes for Sue and her students. She will put all of them to good use; she is my sister from another mother. She is the best human I know.

News from the Art Room 17-Summer Edition

The excitement is building for another wonderful school year. The school is shining after a summer of arduous work from the maintenance staff. Soon, the class lists will be out, and I will be excited to see all the names in my classes. I cannot wait to show them the items that have been donated over the past few months. I can already imagine who will be excited about some of the items I have put away for them.

I was delighted to have lunch with Hser Nay and Danielle last week. Hser Nay started UAlbany this week, a long way from a very unsure 8th-grade girl who had a rough journey before she came to us. Danielle and her husband Steve have sponsored Hser Nay the entire time: lunches, uniforms, tuition, and moral support. Hser Nay plans to change the world, and she will. This I know.

The help we all give kids is a hand-up, not a handout. Often, the smallest hand-up is all it takes to allow a kid to believe in the goodness of people. When the students see the donations arrive, they commonly ask why total strangers are so good to them. Strangers are friends we have yet to know. Your kindness changes lives daily.

The pile of boxes by my door was astounding this week. Thank you to each of you who took the time to help.

Thank you, Lee, from MA., for the linens and lovely buttons,

Thank you, Mary Ellen, from Ohio, for the healthy snacks, other items, and the absolute hit: a bag of shark teeth!

Thank you, Barbara, from MD., for the fabric, yarn, colored pencils, brushes, and more!

Thank you, Mary Ann, from PA., for the jewelry findings, glue sticks, and many craft items.

Thank you, Karen, from NY, for the metals, stamps, maps, wire, etc.

Thank you, Lisa, from NH., for the lovely figurines (that a young student who happened to be around snatched up instantly with delight), the fabrics, the maps, and everything else.

Thank you to Jackie from NY for the framing supplies, lovely art books, mat boards, and much more.

A special thanks to Kathleen, who sent a lovely tea set that her father had gifted to her years ago. We will try extremely hard to do it justice!

So many simply kind people are changing lives for the better!

Jon has offered to let us post a wish list next week to include the things we need to complete the program. We are so grateful for any help and are also forever grateful for the kind thoughts and good wishes. It makes a difference.

I am still seeking donations of everything you feel could be turned into art! Wire, gauze, plaster, shutters, glassware, paint, canvas, printing materials, maps, stamps, sandpaper, wood scraps, and all the other amazing things you can think of would be so helpful. If you are local and have smallish pieces of furniture you would like to see repurposed, we are always looking! The students love to make old things new!

I love hearing from you. My email is [email protected] 

Have a blessed day!

Sue

ND-BG

2600 Albany Street

Schenectady, New York 12304