The A3 Project Edmond organization has drawn attention to its goal of gathering art supplies to donate to elementary schools all over Edmond, Oklahoma. Their aim is to donate needed art tools to classrooms and is working to help kids experience the effect of art in early child development.
Jaley Hunt, a senior from Edmond Santa Fe High School and a student ambassador for the Edmond Public Schools Foundation for three years running, leads the project with an active voice. The EPS Foundation itself, which aims to build advocacy for public education, has helped Hunt bring her idea to life. Her thought behind it was the science of how art affects children’s early learning development.
“A lot of students don’t get to experiment with [art] outside of class because they don’t have access to art supplies or projects,” Hunt said. “I wanted to help [change] that.”
With a little bit less of a year’s worth of work, Hunt has built up a foundation supported by the EPS Foundation, the Edmond Fine Arts Institute, Primrose School of Edmond and Jerry’s Artarama. At first, she had received aid from the EPS Foundation, building her organization with the help of EPS Foundation director, Deanna Boston.
“We’re actively fundraising one of our programs [classroom aid],” Boston said. “We’re a nonprofit but all we do is support needs in the schools.”
While A3 Project Edmond is its own entity, it is backed up by one of the five programs within the EPS Foundation, classroom aid. As Hunt expressed, children in Title I primary schools may lack the necessary tools of learning and art is one of the supports that can help learning development in children’s lives during school. Hunt and Boston had put forth the research of how art can positively impact a child’s early learning as a way to communicate and express.
“A quote I’ve been using is: ‘Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up,’ by Pablo Picasso,” Hunt said. “I thought that it was really fitting.”
As Hunt continued to build the organization up, she approached the Edmond Fine Arts Institute and gained their interest in the project. The EFA Institute works to help adults and children harness their skills of any performing arts with ]classes, camps and workshops for participating members. With Hunt and the EFA Institute, this goal of helping younger students in primary schools became attainable.
“Edmond Fine Arts mission is to provide education enrichment in visual and performing arts,” EFA program Director Savannah Whitehead said. “Supporting the A3 Project Edmond goes right along with everything we are about.”
With the projects in mind, EFA Institute is home to one of many donation bins for the A3 Project Edmond, one for every building home to aiding organizations. As for Primrose, they are helped by creating drives and also setting up donations. The organization has met with more assistance from Jerry’s Artarama, an art supply company. With the continued funding for the organization’s vision, the more effort and supplies they can give to kids.
“It supports the whole district, so I love it,” Boston said.
To help the A3 Project Edmond, Hunt and Boston have created many sources open for any sort of art supply donations through their Amazon Wish List or one of the various donation boxes in all locations of the partnering organizations. To go above and beyond for the future of children in low-income schools is what this organization aims to do.
Contact Jordan Graham at [email protected]
