Wednesday, Aug. 06, 2008

Art for Children program earns LSW student accolades

By Miranda Wycoff, The Journal Staff

A year ago, then 14-year-old Lee’s Summit West High School student Jasraj Marjara was just beginning his endeavors to raise money for an orphanage halfway around the world. Today, Jasraj has raised enough to send the Mama Ngina Kenyatta Children’s Home in Kenya a fixed check of $250 per month.

“We send a fixed check so they know each month what they will be getting and can plan accordingly,” said Jasraj’s father, Jetinder Marjara.

In addition, Jasraj’s efforts have been noticed by those around him. He was recently honored with a Prudential Spirit of Community Award. According to the Web site, the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honor young people in middle level and high school grades for outstanding volunteer service to their communities.

Created in 1995 by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the awards constitute the United States’ largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteering. During the past 13 years, the program has honored more than 80,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national levels.

Jasraj’s Art for Children program began when Jetinder told his son stories of the conditions in his native country. Jasraj was born in Kenya, as well, but his family moved to the United States when he was only a few months old.

“My father talks about the condition of life over there and when he went back the last time he said it had gotten worse,” Jasraj told the Journal last year. “I thought, ‘It couldn’t get any worse,’ and those were the people who had things. There are people who are needing.”

So Jasraj came up with a plan — and remembering the coffee shop next to his home that sells art, he thought if the art were going toward a good cause, maybe people would buy it.

“They are selling these paintings for high prices and no one is buying them,” Jasraj said a year ago. “They have no meaning. They are just profit. So why don’t we help people who need it.”

So Jasraj and Jetinder began trying to get local artists to donate paintings to the cause. Jasraj would take pictures of the paintings and send the pictures to the orphanage. The children there would then look at the picture and write an essay on what they saw in the painting and send their writing back to Jasraj. He then attaches the essays to the paintings before selling them.

“This way it is not just about buying something,” Jasraj said. “It’s about changing someone’s future.” One hundred percent of the profit is sent to the children’s home in Kenya.

So far, Jasraj has raised more than $10,000 for the orphanage. But his father said that while they have enough to send their fixed check for a few more months, the money is dwindling and they would like to make sure they keep going.

“One of these paintings could feed a kid for a year,” Jetinder said last August.

While Art for Children has been displayed at a few local art shows, Jasraj and Jetinder are wary to participate in many. The shows, they said often require up-front fees, and those fees can take away from the proceeds that should go to the children in Kenya.

Art for Children is still displaying at J.P. Coffee in the new Longview area.

Jasraj and Jetinder are also looking for local businesses that may want to display the art permanently.

For more information about Art for Children, e-mail Jasraj at jmarjara@kc.rr.com

mwycoff@lsjournal.com