On August 21st the Don Bosco Community Center (DBCC) of Port Chester, NY, held a celebration to mark a $10,000 donation received from student volunteer Ellen Chen, and the Sharron Art Center in South Brunswick, NJ, in support of DBCC’s afterschool arts education program.
The ceremony included an origami demonstration with DBCC kids and student volunteers, and remarks by Ellen Chen and by Jerry Rodriguez, Executive Director of DBCC followed the presentation. Guests were then invited to tour the Center’s learning spaces.
In his remarks Mr. Rodriguez shared “We visited the Sharron Art Center Charity Exhibition on August 13th, and we witnessed that artists were working very hard on their portfolios, improving their technique, improving how they showcase themselves, how they present to the world, and how they conceive the world in their mind. We saw a lot of personal growth and development, which resonated with our mission here at the Don Bosco Community Center. We’re here for the children from the age of three years old all the way to college, and we’re consistently here trying to push them to reach higher heights, to really discover and nurture their talents, and to empower our children to achieve their full potential. Therefore, the synergy between the Sharron Art Center and the Don Bosco Center is aligned, and it’s really great.”
Mr. Rodriguez went on to thank Ellen personally for her volunteer work. “I thank you again, Ellen. You’re really doing something transcendental because you’re not here for yourself, you’re here for everything you do through your art. It’s having a direct impact on the children. They now are learning origami and everything that comes with it, but at the same time, you are helping to solve the issue with fewer resources. So, I really appreciate the beauty of art that’s being showcased in different facets.
Ms. Chen shared with guests, “I enjoy teaching origami to the children at Don Bosco Community Center. They are very enthusiastic and creative, and they surprise me with their own origami creations. I want to inspire them and the community with my passion for art, literature, and science. I proposed to the President of the Sharron Art Center and got her full support, to host the annual charity exhibition for raising funds for Don Bosco. I took charge of the whole project, from planning to recruiting artists, from designing the flier to supervising the exhibition. I led a team of almost 50 students who displayed 400 artworks. We raised $8,477 from the exhibition, and on top of that, I also sold several of my paintings, including the original creation of the New York Times awarding piece to the RCDS principal, to reach a total amount of $10,000”. A full list of participating student artists can be found here (link) Ms. Chen continued to share “the entire amount to Don Bosco is to start an art enrichment program that aims to “Bridge the Gap: Empowering Under-privileged Children for a Better Tomorrow”. I am proud and blessed to be able to contribute to this community. I would also like to thank again my teachers, Jerry and Andres, all the donating students and families, my origami club executives, and the students here” For further information, please contact Mary Keating at the Don Bosco Community Center at mkeating@donboscocenter.org. To learn more about the Don Bosco Community Center of Port Chester, visit www.donboscocenter.org