Short Summary
Hi, my name is Matt Kapral. I am a graduate in graphic design and I work for the City of Pittsburgh, Parks and Rec. doing art projects with kids here in the city's schools, parks and rec centers.
If I've received training not only from a college to make art, but a city government to teach it, and if I am one-on-one with a literally over 5,000 children a year (which I am) then the amount of money it would have taken to have brought me over to India for this exact purpose would have been extraodinary. But, if it's of my own will and savings that I go there, it would cost very little. These children will be receiving the culmination of all of that and it won't cost them a cent. I see a great value in this, and I want to do it for them as a gift, in a sense.
What We Need & What You Get
The money that is donated will help to buy art supplies for 35-40 children that live at the hostel outside of the city of Chennai.
It would be easy to get just any art supplies, but I want to get enough for how many kids there are and supplies of a good quality. This isn't crayons and scissors that we're talking about here. I mean; paper, notebooks, plaster of Paris, chalk, acrylics, pigments, watercolors, a ton of pencils and brushes that will last for a good while. And those are just the basics.
I considered being able to buy them in India where they would be cheaper, but the thing about India is that art is so looked down upon as a proffession, that finding most of these items there will be impossible.
I've been able to save and I have the money to pay for rent, loans, utilities, food, airfare, passport and visa, along with shots and medicines and even tithes, but I need a little more help with the art supplies and the loose ends here and there that are enevitable with traveling internationally.
The Impact
It's not as if art is entirely removed from their lives. My friend is very musically inclined and engages with the children very closely. He has even introduced some of the older children to photography and they are very good at it. For the kids at the orphanage, being able to teach them art will help them not only to exspress themselves, but to find new ways to have fun.
But, I feel that after being able to get more of a glimpse into what life is like for my friend and the children he serves, I know that there is something I HAVE to do for them. Not to make me feel better, or to pat myself on the back or anything remotely close to that. I just want to serve them with the skills that I've learned through college and that I use in my everyday life.
If that's what I have and serving is what I want to do, then why not like this?
Other Ways You Can Help
Go to wemustsotheycan.com to be able to donate directly to my friend and the orphanages.
Use Indiegogo for any project that needs the help of many. Many hands makes light work!