The soothing and relaxing jazz music enters my ears every time that I walk in through the clear glass door. The lounge area tables are always covered with paint, paintbrushes and large canvas bags. Both children and adults can be found getting creative, while intently painting the bags that will later be sent out to the less privileged kids around the world.
Art for the Nations is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2004 by Lisa Ambler. It was after Ambler and her family built houses in the impoverished city of Juarez, Mexico that she realized how important art was to the children. She noticed how the children there would make mounds of dirt and draw figures on the ground. This is when Ambler decided to create Art for the Nations, so that children around the world would have access to art supplies.
Art for the Nations is located in Denver, Colorado and it’s dedicated to giving back to less privileged children through art. The goal of this organization is to make art supplies available to children who don’t have the resources. Annually, more than 2,000 bags of art supplies are donated to children in Mexico, Haiti, Brazil, Costa Rica and many more places. The large, sturdy bags are filled with countless art supplies including construction paper, scissors, markers, pencils and even glitter jars. Once these bags are decorated and then shipped, a few lucky children will have the opportunity to create their own beautiful pieces of art.
Before any art bag is sent out, it must be fully decorated on the outside. Ambler explains why it is so important for every single bag to be decorated. She says that Art for the Nations is all about the art, and they want to transmit this through their bags,
“ The bags should look beautiful and artistic when the children receive them.”
This organization heavily relies on volunteers to help them pack and decorate the canvas bags. Lisa Marie who is the inventory manager of Art for the Nations thinks that volunteering actually opens people’s eyes. Marie says that volunteering teaches people valuable lessons.
“ We want people to realize that there are many children who don’t have the same resources like we do in U.S.”
Marie also encourages parents to take their children to organizations like this one, so they can begin to realize that other children around the world aren’t so fortunate.
Both Ambler and Marie want people to know that these art bags are available to anybody who works with underprivileged children. Most of all they want more people to get involved and spread the word about this organization.
Art for the Nations is the ideal place for anyone who is interested in giving back to the less fortunate children around the world. The best part about this organization is that we can all have lots of fun while we volunteer. If you are interested in learning more about this organization, you can visit their website http://artforthenations.org/contact-afn.php. Remember it’s never too late to give back to the world.
Natalie Torres 