“Everything with Aiden has a meaning, and I’m glad you can see that in his artwork.”

As this year draws to a close, these words from Sachet Walker, the mother of one of our students, continue to echo in my mind. I can’t help but wonder what meaning twelve-year-old Aiden has found in the midst of the pandemic, as a child who already spends much of his time isolated in a pediatric unit and at home.

When we asked him, he responded that he was proud of his work: “It’s not just like I’m drawing. People learn from my drawings, too. I usually draw dinosaurs that no one really knows about. It’s not just drawing, it’s more like you ask questions to learn more. It’s like learning, but fun.” Like learning, but fun. That seems to sum up the last five years Aiden has spent with Snow City Arts.

It’s these kinds of conversations with our students and their families that have kept me going this year. To be honest, this has been a challenging year for Snow City Arts. Many arts organizations have struggled immensely this year. To be an artist of any kind requires that people gather—students to learn, creators to make work, audiences to experience a finished piece. To be a young artist in the hospital on the front lines of a global pandemic…that challenge seems insurmountable.

But not for us.

In this unpredictable time, we want to ensure that the presence of Snow City Arts in our students’ lives remains constant. Aiden’s mother Sachet shares my precise sentiments about the invaluable importance of our work: “Unfortunately, in this country that we live in, arts get pushed aside. I don’t believe that the arts are elective. I believe that if we put more money, and more time, and more resources into arts programs, not just for kids in Aiden’s situation but for all kids in general, we would be raising some healthier future adults. We would be raising better leaders.”

Help us raise better leaders against all odds. Make a gift today, and make a better, brighter future tomorrow.