The Art Kids of San Diego County and its Confessions

Yes, for the first time in nine years, I asked the parents of my students to help pay for the materials they use during the year.

Since starting the program over nine years ago we have never asked for help, but this year, with over 26 students, the expense was just too much without asking for some assistance.

Having used over $75,000 of my own money and projecting another $8,000 for this year's materials, I asked the parents for some assistance with materials.

I requested $100 for materials from each student for the entire year. The true cost for each student in materials is over $450 per year.

Paint, brushes, canvases, clay, paper, ink, pencils, art pens, colored pencils, pastels and other materials are just some of the materials provided by the art program.

Yes, we also use the tables at the Pier Plaza but not all of them.

We use them for three maybe four hours on Saturday mornings. Some of the time we are doing community projects elsewhere or we meet at the West Coast Cafe on Palm.

Yet, there are those who just can't share.

Their only thought is of themselves and no one else. The program opens doors for these young people. It provides a creative outlet and for this we get one complaint in nine years that shuts us down. The kids have helped this community many times over.

We have face painted for the community at no cost to them except one time when they reimbursed us for materials. We have done over ten events for the community without even a thank you. We have painted windows for the holidays and have never received a thank you except from the Marine Shop that used to be in Imperial Beach.

That was greatly appreciated because he had enough class to thank us and help us with the material costs.

Banners, signs, face painting, utility boxes, logos and many other art activities have been done for the good of the city and yet one person's complaint and they eagerly shut us down.

Yes, I have now paid for my business license.

I had to purchase the license because in the past we did some art for the city and they required the license. Now they use that license against us because they think I am charging my students as a business. The lessons are free and in other programs parents are paying $10 an hour for lessons elsewhere.

My students get over 135 hours a year and pay nothing for those lessons. If you think I am doing this for the money then think again, because I live on a limited income and I usually run out of money by the end of the month.

Sometimes I go without my diabetic medication because the money I have goes to the kids and the program. I am not here asking for sympathy I just believe in the kids and their talents. Nobody else has stepped forward to give kids an opportunity to create. To bring hope and an inner strength to their lives, yet one complaint and everything, all the hard work pushes us out of the park where we did nothing but create beauty through art.

Yes I am angry because people wish to find the negative, the bad instead of the good. They think this is hurting me but in reality it is hurting the kids the ones who need a creative outlet. Adults get upset when they see grafitti on the streets and yet when something good comes around there are those who think of how they can spoil it for those kids that are being an asset to the community. People make up your minds.

Either embrace those kids that are doing their best to beautify your community or take away their freedom to express themselves and create a child without imagination and a greater self image.