"I want to thank anyone who spends part of their day creating...anybody who spends part of their day sharing their experience with us--I think this world would be unlivable without art and I thank you." ~Steve Soderbergh
Welcome
Wrapping up the year from: Program Coordinator, Hannah Meacock Ross
I can hardly believe how time has flown since September, when we all began our journeys as mentors. Since the beginning of the mentoring year, I have seen our relationships with the kids at Delta Place and everywhere else Free Arts works deepen immensely. I find it so satisfying to know even a little bit about them; favorite colors, summer plans, what movie they saw recently or their musical idols. Through these interactions I’ve glimpsed into their unique personalities. I now know who in our group of kids is particularly sensitive, shy, outgoing, funny and creative. I can guess who might get frustrated with a certain project and make sure to give them plenty of reassurance along the way. To know about your kids in this way takes time. I am so glad that my fellow mentors in our Delta Place team stuck with it until the end and I am so glad that you did too!
As many of you know, next year Free Arts Minnesota will serve twice as many kids. We have been busy meeting with new partner agencies and will have twice as many options in terms of time and place of mentoring groups next year. If you’d like to try a new age-range or type of facility, we are looking for experienced mentors to lead our new teams. In order to accomplish our Twice the Healing mission, we need your help more than ever. We hope that you will come back to volunteer with Free Arts again next year to continue to deepen the important relationships you’ve begun as a mentor and to help us reach more kids than ever.
From the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate all that you’ve done this year. Your creativity, dedication and passion make a tremendous difference in our community. We hope that you will allow us to thank you in person at this year’s Volunteer Appreciation event on May 21st. Come, say hello and celebrate a great year with Free Arts!
Summer opportunities
No need to worry that weekly mentorship is ending- you can still be involved with Free Arts! There are several ways that you can stay engaged with the organization.
Summer Mentorship- A few of our sites will be continuing on through the summer and are looking for weekly mentors to join these groups. Contact Hannah for more information about being placed in one of these groups.
Summer Events- Free Arts will be present at several local events throughout the summer. We are always looking for volunteers to come out and promote Free Arts, lead an art project with event attendees, and recruit other potential mentors. Contact Esther for more information about upcoming events.
Youth Opportunities- We recently created more opportunities for teens and youth in our community to become involved in Free Arts. These include joining the Free Arts Street Team, Social Media Volunteering, Art Supply Drives, and Parent-Child Mentor Teams. If you know an interested teen, contact one of our interns, Breanna, for more information.
mentors. Since the beginning of the mentoring year, I have seen our relationships with the kids at Delta Place and everywhere else Free Arts works deepen immensely. I find it so satisfying to know even a little bit about them; favorite colors, summer plans, what movie they saw recently or their musical idols. Through these interactions I’ve glimpsed into their unique personalities. I now know who in our group of kids is particularly sensitive, shy, outgoing, funny and creative. I can guess who might get frustrated with a certain project and make sure to give them plenty of reassurance along the way. To know about your kids in this way takes time. I am so glad that my fellow mentors in our Delta Place team stuck with it until the end and I am so glad that you did too! 
