“The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.” Friedrich Nietzsche, Philosopher

It’s with a deep sense of gratitude that I share with you the incredible experience of co-chairing our town’s Operation Feed’s Summer Art Camp program for the kids of San Juan Cosalá (SJC) that just wrapped up.

The annual, two-week art camp has been running now each August for over a decade. It provides the local kids, ages 8 to 12, a chance to be creative and have some fun. It’s run entirely by a staff of hard-working, dedicated volunteers; a great group of people to be surrounded by.

Backtrack to last year, and my first volunteer experience at the camp, acting as a translator; flitting from art project table to art project table like a busy bee pollinating blooming flowers. So when Janine Kirkland, President of Operation Feed, asked me later in the year if I’d like to co-chair the 2023 Summer Camp with her, I said, “Yes! “Sure, why not? If you handle the recruiting of the teachers, I’ll handle the whole back-office operation.”

As the date fast approached, my apprehension grew exponentially about what I had gotten myself into. I conjured up all my past managerial skills, and like riding a bike, you never forget the how to, wherefore and logistics. Soon enough, I was knee-deep in spreadsheets, pivot tables, data analysis (age and gender), inventory supplies, projections and budgeting. Wait a minute. What am I talking about budgeting for? Hello! We have NO BUDGET!

Somehow or other we kept calm and carried on – plowing through it all with just enough art supply donations and monetary contributions from the lakeside community to provide a successful program.

Parents signed up their kids to attend four days of 9-12 noon classes; with two different sets of kids attending each week. Attendance was limited to 55 children per week to those that had been pre-registered; giving us an idea as to the number of art projects necessary to keep them engaged for three hours daily.

The kids’ excitement would begin with great anticipation, arriving an hour before starting time. They’d hang outside, patiently waiting until I took roll call and assigned them to their first project. After finishing their piece, if there was a seat available elsewhere, they could freely move themselves to it.

First week, first day … out of 55 pre-signed kids, 39 showed up and add to that 17 drop-ins (I kept spreadsheets of attendance). We averaged about 56 kids a day. We don’t turn away anybody nor restrict them by age or gender in whatever art project they wish to participate in.

Some of the popular projects included: cellphone photography, animal pillow making, bracelet, earring and crochet jewelry, indigenous Mexican Huchil yarn boards, collages, coloring books, painted animal masks, pipe cleaner snakes, and a stable of animals made from paper coffee filters and colorful construction paper: butterflies, dragonflies, ladybugs, centipedes, and squiggly worms. Clothes pins heads were attached to cut-out faces and you could make their mouth open and shut. Great fun for all.

One particular table was a big crowd favorite – the free painting. Here, it was freedom of expression to create whatever by splashing colors on paper, cardboard, rocks and blocks of wood; also landing on fingers, arms and clothing – their creativity knew no bounds. Note to self: always wear an apron!

Amazingly, the kids were extremely respectful, well behaved, eager and excited to try their hand at every art project offered. The one thing ever present was their great big, joyful smiles. It was contagious – you could feel the sense of camaraderie, happiness, and love throughout.

It’s necessary at this time to single out with special recognition to Señor Augustin Vazquez Calvario, a man of many hats: Operation Feed cornerstone, community liaison, proprietor of Viva Mexico restaurant and who so generously provides our venue, and as I like to call him, the unofficial mayor and historian of San Juan Cosalá. His kind and benevolent heart knows no limits. That said …

Augustin is a storyteller extraordinaire. When there were breaks needed in the action, he’d take the kids to a shaded garden spot and begin sharing stories. He captured and thrilled his enraptured audience, who hung onto his every word, including this overgrown kid.

I’d like to take a moment to express the greatest gratitude to the kids of SJC on how deeply they have enriched my life and embraced me as one of their own.

Muchas gracias – many thanks and gratitude for the throng of volunteers who generously lent their time to this worthwhile effort. Your presence in the life of these kids proved to be a source of inspiration, positivity, encouragement, support, and empowerment. I’m sure you made a difference in someone’s young life.

Art serves as a mirror that reflects the beauty and diversity of cultures, perspectives, and emotions. It has opened our eyes to the nuances of life and encouraged us to embrace its complexities and uncertainties.

As we look forward to next year, please remember the NO BUDGET! exclamation part from the beginning of this blog. Any participation of time, art supplies or money for materials, etc. would be greatly appreciated beyond …

* You can make donations to the link found below.

https://www.operationfeedsjc.com/donate

** Please remember to note on the memo line: “Summer Art Camp”

*** also, fyi … Amazon delivers to Mexico; if you have PRIME, the shipping charges are minimal.

¡Muchísimas gracias, Sergio!

Thanks to all of you who shared your pictures!

OPERATION FEED: WHO WE ARE?

We are a community based charity.
We take no money from the Mexico
government – federal, state, or local.  
​All donations go directly to the people of
San Juan Cosalá through our initiatives.

We are a group of people dedicated to providing food and improving the lives of the very poor and marginalized people of the village of San Juan Cosala, Jalisco, Mexico. We provide weekly food despensas for those who would go hungry without our aid.

Many of our recipients are elderly, disabled, and children. We also support new program initiatives to involve the people in developing additional income sources and skills, thereby offering them a “hand up” and not just a “hand out”.

Our goal is to help these people live productive lives, free from hunger.