As the school year ending gets closer and closer I have to start trying to start up FAME. FAME is an organization I run in the summer for kids with special needs. It Focuses on Art and Music Education and in Cali it was very successful. I think if I was still there I would've had to rented out a space to accommodate all the students and make a summer camp.
I came up with this idea of having my own school company after I started working in schools when I was 19. I started noticing such a downward trend of cutting back from art and music. At the time it was all hush hush. People didn't realize that Art and music was getting cut from schools. It was just a little cut here and there. When I started my 2nd year of college it was evident that schools were losing money so the the first things that had to go was art and music. I actually went to college on an art scholarship, but after seeing the change in the schools I changed my major. I knew I would be able to do good in the schools by serving the kids with special needs and incorporate my own art with them. But as I finished my bachelors I felt God calling me to do much more. It wasn't good enough to just teach art and have music in schools once a week. It had to be infused in their lives. To me it was about giving them an outlet, a tool to speak their minds. I realized what a gift this is when my cousin started showing his talent in art. He would create these beautiful pieces and it was like looking into his mind and witnessing what he saw in the world. That was amazing. It was remarkable. These kids are remarkable. We all have gifts and talents. God has given us all our own wonderful qualities, but instead of trying to force these kids to fit into our "normal" I believe we need to step over to there side and witness their "normal." I am constantly amazed at these kids. They teach me so much about themselves and the world. Stopping and taking the time to find beauty in straws, princesses, trains, stairs, dates, numbers, birthdays, location, etc. I could go on and on.
But last week after listening to the sermon my pastor was giving I realized what I was missing. I realized its not even about serving these remarkable children. Its about serving all children, because they are all remarkable. Its about giving up and using the mission God has given me to serve families in need. Our church in embarking on this amazing mission to give back to the community and serve. We are partnering with a organization called safe families which partners with families that are homeless. And they help by working with families to not go through the fostering process. Many times families get ripped apart because of hard times and it just makes things that much more difficult for the children. While I was listening to our pastor talk about what things we could do as individuals to help this organization, I could hear the Lord tell me to use FAME. Use FAME as a summer program for these families. I can't imagine how much more difficult it is for these parents to go to work or job interview when they have to worry about what they child will be doing for the day. When school is out where can these kids go? I mean even the host families, what are they to do with the children, when they need the structure of a school day. To have a place for kids to go be creative and express themselves in the summer at no cost to families, this is what it means to serve. To give back to the community. But even the families with working moms and dads, what are they suppose to do with their children in summer? How can you find a quality program that won't cost you a fortune but will cultivate your children. FAME has always been a non-profit, faith based organization, but it took coming to Oregon for me to see the extend of God's mission for me. I've never lost hope in FAME and the ideals of FAME, but I did lose hope in getting it started. I lost hope in FAME ever becoming a reality. Now I see it coming together more clearly. It certainly took patience and trusting in the Lord. Continually keeping in the back of my mind, hearing God tell me to not give up and the time will come.
I continue to pray the steps I am taking to create this reality would be bring me closer to this dream. FAME summer camp coming 2015! We are so close!
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