I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who supported the Kids’ Art Power for Pets fundraiser at Blackbird Café last week. As you may know, this event was organized by my 7-year-old daughter Rosa to benefit Lakeshore PAWS, an animal rescue organization. It was a wonderful night and very successful. K.A.P.P. raised over $500.00!
I am overwhelmed by our community’s generosity, and I don’t mean just financially. In fact, while I’m delighted by the amount of money K.A.P.P. raised, what touches me most is how readily everyone jumped at the chance to support my daughter’s big idea.
This begins, of course, with Mary Koselke, owner of Blackbird Café. Mary didn’t hesitate when Rosa asked to hang children’s art on the walls to raise money for animals. Mary took Rosa’s proposal very seriously and told her it was a great idea.
But she also said, “This is up to you, Rosa. You have to organize it.”
So Rosa understood right from the beginning that this event was her responsibility, and it motivated her to get right to work.
I wish I could show you glimpses of Rosa preparing for the event: brainstorming what to call it, spending hours creating posters, writing out scripts so she could remember what to say to reporters, helping Mary hang the pictures in the café. It was wonderful to watch.
Everyone who talked to Rosa about the fundraiser was eager to support her. David Muniz, principal of Thomas Jefferson Elementary, and art teacher Laurie Gathmann made time for the TJE children to create their animal pictures. Graphic artist Krista Cook created the lovely event invitations and Boy-Conn Printers had them printed almost instantly. ValpoLife led the media charge with Caitlin Vanlaningham’s article profiling the upcoming event. Michelle Schrader attended Friday’s event and wrote a wonderful recap. One benefactor made a very generous donation simply because the fundraiser was organized by a 7-year-old. Other articles were written, countless Facebook posts and Tweets were shared, and the message was consistent: “Go, Rosa go!”
It felt as though the whole community agreed that as important as it is to support wonderful local organizations like Lakeshore PAWS, it’s even more crucial to make sure that one little girl with some serious gumption succeeded in her plans. That kind of affirmation is enough to give a girl a big head – a head big enough to believe that one child can make a difference, can unify people behind a common goal, and can convince a large group of adults to donate to her favorite cause even before she understands that it’s inappropriate to pull up one’s dress and scratch one’s leg in front of said group. (Yes, that happened. I cringed, but everyone else laughed.)
So thank you again Northwest Indiana, not only for supporting Lakeshore PAWS, not only for supporting my ambitious daughter, but for being the kind of community that rallies behind its children.
As Margaret Mead famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”
Sometimes those citizens are smaller than we’d expect, but they can be every bit as powerful when a community like ours comes together to encourage their natural inclination to make the world a better place.