Friends, an Idea and Art Supplies for CSD

On a sun-drenched March day, a special delivery came to Kodiak Cubs preschool. The students swarmed outside with giddiness to know what was inside two bulging bags carried by Marnie Gray and Chelsea Saunders.

Inside each bag were art supplies collected to recognize and celebrate diversity. Boxes of multicultural crayons and markers will allow every student to draw themselves accurately. Other items in each kit include a picture book titled, “All are Welcome,” skin-toned construction paper and skin-toned bandages.

Gray, founder of the nonprofit, Color Me Important, and her colleague, Saunders, drove over the mountains to hand-deliver the supplies to Kodiak Cubs preschool teacher, Lindsay Camp. They also dropped off more bags to Peshastin-Dryden Elementary, Home Link and Beaver Valley Elementary.

Gray created Color Me Important in light of the social justice issues last year. The nonprofit fundraises for art supplies and distributes them to teachers, starting in the Lake Stevens and Snohomish area, where most of the local crowdsourcing funding has come from. Since its inception, the organization has distributed supplies to 71 classrooms.

The twenty bags for the Cascade School District were made possible through the efforts of Judy Derpack, a school board member and longtime friend of Gray. “I was able to secure two grants, a $1,000 Empty Bowls grant and a $650 endowment fund from my church, Faith Lutheran,” said Derpack.

“This project will reach a large number of kids,” said Sandra Phenning from Upper Valley Empty Bowls (UVEB). “It also directly addresses diversity and inclusion, as well as opening doors to conversations about equity, which are new core values for Empty Bowls.”

Mara Bohman, also from UVEB, added, “The message that we are all unique and equally special is implied and supported with this wonderful ‘Color Me Important’ project.”

Children express themselves through art. Young children might rely on images when words are lacking. These supplies give kids a chance to represent themselves and others authentically. Lisa Therrill, representing the Faith Lutheran Endowment Committee, said, “Faith Lutheran is pleased to support this project because of the way it helps address social justice inequities in our community.”

Back by the preschool, Camp, after seeing the boxes of skin-toned bandages, said, “Those are hard to find, and preschoolers need a lot of bandages!” As for the art supplies, she said, “We’ll be using them later today.”

The Kodiak Cubs preschool, recognized for its inclusionary practices, now has more materials to support what they teach, thanks to Derpack and Color Me Important; and so do the teachers at PD, Beaver Valley and Home Link.