I am an educator in Young at Art's ArtREACH program in South Florida. "Homeless children are by most accounts among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population, accounting for 25 percent of the urban homeless population. Homelessness causes difficult social, emotional and physical barriers for children, sometimes leading to low self-esteem, emotional trauma, lack of self-confidence, depression, unhappiness, lack of personal hygiene, lack of sleep, and hunger. Young At Art Children’s Museum’s ArtREACH program helps to improve the lives of these children by establishing a safe, productive, creative environment that nurtures their artistic, emotional and educational growth." http://www.imls.gov/profiles/sept05.shtm For more information: http://www.youngatartmuseum.org/grantimls.php

This month has been crazy as I am gearing up for the school year as the Coordinator of the ArtREACH program, an after school arts program for local homeless students. I will continue with my weekly updates once the school year begins to roll. ArtREACH is a collaboration between the Young at Art Children's Museum, the School Board of Broward County, and local area shelters. --------------------------------------------- Here is more information on the ArtREACH Program: Article below from Young At Art's Spring/Summer 2004 newsletter, The Drawing Board Museum’s ArtREACH Homeless Program Breaks Ground "This program is a blessing. They come home so excited." That’s what Jenny Malcolm, mother of three daughters, recently told a Sun-Sentinel reporter. What makes the afterschool program she was describing uncommon is that the home to which her girls come at the end of the day is a transitional shelter for homeless families "One of the most striking things for me was being...