Here is a letter that Julie Connors, our Humanities and Arts Instructor, received late this fall from the Memory Project.
Dear Ms. Connors and Artists:
We are so happy to say that your portraits were successfully delivered to the children in Afghanistan. As you know, our plan to deliver the portraits over the summer was interrupted by Taliban activity in the area, but we were finally able to fly the portraits to the children’s location on a small charter plane. Receiving these gifts from you, a world away, was an experience like none other. The children fully understood that this was a unique and artistic way for you to show them how much you care about their well-being. Your artwork became an expression of friendship, support, and peace.
The following video begins with an introduction personalized for you and then shows many children receiving their portraits together. Those of you who sent us photos from your classroom and/or the names of your students will see them in the introductory segment, while others will see a standard introduction. Either way, please let us know if you notice any mistakes, as we will want to correct it for you right away.
Your students may be interested to know that they were joined in this effort by more than 2,000 other young artists from around the world. Therefore, rather than focusing on any portraits individually, the purpose of this video is to share the collective joy and excitement of all the children together. You can find the video by going to https://memoryproject.box.com/v/JulieConnorsAfghanistan2018.
You are welcome to share this video far and wide, post it on your social media pages, use it to promote your art program, and invite your administrators to watch it. In fact, we would love to email your administrators, invite them to view this video, and thank them for your school’s contribution. Please let us know if you would like us to do that. It would be an honor.
Finally, please know that as part of this project you helped to provide $4,000 in educational support for the children. That is a substantial amount of support for all of us to provide together, along with these very heartfelt portraits.
We’re so grateful for all of the extra time and effort you put into making this project possible. Together we are building a kinder world one portrait at a time and creating many cherished memories along the way. It is our true privilege to do this work with you, and we very much hope to have that privilege again. Please let us know whenever your students would like to join us for more portraits, and thank you for all you’ve done!
Gratefully,
The Memory Project
2163 N. Gateway St.
Middleton, WI 53562
P) 608-616-0327
Our school’s Code of Conduct states that we intend to take care of ourselves, each other, Franklin Academy, and the world. On behalf of my colleagues, I want to thank Julie and her students for reaching out to the children of Afghanistan to bring joy into their lives.