2 Denver Boys & Girls Club Members Named Winners In National Art Contest
By Libby Smith
DENVER (CBS4) - Two members of a Denver Boys & Girls Club were named winners in a national fine arts competition. Approximately 1,500 Club members across the country participate in the National Fine Arts program each year. Only 188 art pieces are selected to compete at the national contest level, and then 33 are selected as winners in various art mediums. Among the 33 were two members of the Boettcher Boys and Girls Club.
"It made me feel really good about myself, like I can accomplish things. I can do things on my own, if I want something I will do it, I will work for it," said 15-year-old Rachael about winning the national competition.
LINK: Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver
Rachael's piece is a wood carved stamp of her face over a map of Africa. It's called "A Journey to Myself"
"It's just basically talking about finding who you are, and like finding your road in life, or like finding where you want to go in life," she told CBS4.
Thirteen-year-old Thuse is the other national winner. Her piece depicts a Dia de los Muertos skull.
"It's quilling. I had never done quilling," Thuse told CBS4.
Both of these young artists credit their art room teacher at the Boys and Girls Club for pushing and inspiring them.
"I always thought I could draw, but I never knew that I could draw until I met Miss Emily, because she like brought so much confidence out of me," Rachael explained.
Thuse is one of four children, two of her siblings also go to the Boys & Girls Club. Her family moved here from Sri Lanka five years ago. The family has relied heavily on the club for support as they adjust to the new culture.
"It's like a second home to me because there's a lot I learn from it. Like the sports, which, obviously, I wouldn't get involved in if I didn't come here. And then the reading program which helped me with my grammar and English, and then the art room which got me to the national spot," Thuse told CBS4.
It's the successes they experience in the club that will eventually translate into successes in life.
LINK: Care 4 Colorado
CBS4's Care 4 Colorado Toy Drive collects new, unwrapped toys for kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. A donation goes a long way to putting a smile on a child's face this holiday season. Staff members from CBS4, KOA, KBCO, and the Boys & Girls Club will be collecting toys from 4:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 15th at the King Soopers at Colorado and Yale.
Libby Smith is a Special Projects Producer at CBS4. If you have a story you'd like to tell CBS4 about, call 303-863-TIPS (8477) or visit the News Tips section.
