CHAP

Alyosha and Luka got volunteer jobs at CHAP after a wonderful party we were invited to. An 'Angel' donated $400 for Isobel's Clubhouse to give the kids a party at the CHAP Art Factory. CHAP is an acronym for Children's Healing Art Project. CHAP brings the healing power of art to children in crisis and their families with a mobile team of teaching artists working in Portland's children's hospitals. In 2009, CHAP will work with over 10,000 children and their families. The Art Factory is one way for CHAP to raise money for the project. They usually charge $5 an hour per kid to allow them to do whatever they want with paint, collage and creativity.

We chatted and chatted with Frank, the head guy, and he was great. He said that if our kids come in and 'work' an hour they can then play an hour. We are making garlands that they will sell or give to donors at Christmas time. It has been fun so far...we will see how it goes.

The kids are painting the cardboard box castle from the inside. There are hidden buckets of paint everywhere--it is a kids world there.

Luka made a painting of a bear. He is into bears in all of his artwork right now. He made poke strokes on the cardboard castle.

Alyosha got a little too encouraged and started thinking that every stroke of his brush was creating a piece of gold. He turned into one of those cartoon scenes where the character takes a brush in each hand with the whimsical music going on in the background and with 3 strokes paints the Mona Lisa. He had a lot of fun though and now he really is creating a masterpiece : River with Salmon--it is a work in progress so more on that later.

Niki enjoyed his post as observer of all activities.