Thanks to Ms. Orna and her connection with a local community art group, Calais art students now have access to an array of new art supplies! The Goldfinch Decorative Painters, a group of artists based in New Jersey, generously donated a variety of materials, including art kits, sketch pads, canvases, crayons, markers, paints, coloring books, hand-painted canvas totes, and more.

Goldfinch President Linda Wagoner explained why the group chose Calais “After learning about the talented students at the Calais School, we felt that donating art supplies would be not only relevant but also authentic to our group’s mission.” Previously, the Goldfinch Decorative Painters have supported philanthropic efforts benefiting a local food pantry and other causes. 

Students eagerly assisted in sorting the donated art supplies and brainstorming possible projects they could create using them. Ms. Orna noted that she will initially use the supplies this summer for her ESY Art Club, “I love that there is so much variety in the bags. I like to keep the clubs fun for the kids so having a range of materials allows them to choose what they would like to create.”

Donated supplies from the Goldfinch Decorative Painters Group

Donated supplies from the Goldfinch Decorative Painters Group

As a teacher she expressed gratitude for the donation, noting that the supplies have already sparked ideas for fresh class projects, “Art supplies are expensive, so even just a few things that I do not have to include in my budget are always helpful. I also found supplies among the donations that I wouldn’t have thought about using which present opportunities for new lessons in the classroom.”

Ms. Orna ensures that everything donated will be put to good use to benefit her students. Even the canvas totes with original hand-painted art on the fronts will be used for storage and transporting projects. The art on the front side of the bags will also be a source of inspiration for the students as they create during the school year.

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About The Calais School: The Calais School is a nonprofit, state-approved provider of special education in North Jersey serving students in grades K through 12 Plus with multiple learning disabilities as well as anxiety, mood, behavior and autism spectrum disorders. For more information, visit www.thecalaisschool.org.

About The Goldfinch Decorative Painters: The Goldfinch Decorative Painters offers members an opportunity to broaden their knowledge of decorative painting through classes and seminars, build new friendships, become involved in community service projects and share their passion to paint with others. For more information, visit https://njgoldfinch.com/