Nazareth Academy
makes art with heart

By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer

The photograph shows a small boy with dimples and crinkled brown eyes holding a painting of himself.
In both the photograph and the portrait, which is sharply detailed and brightly colored, the boy is smiling. His name is Guillermo and he is maybe 7 years old at the most.
The artist who drew him, Nazareth Academy High School senior Shannon Toale, knows little about Guillermo other than that he lives in an orphanage in El Salvador.
"They don’t have pictures of themselves at the orphanage," Toale explained.
Toale and four other classmates connected with children like Guillermo through the Memory Project, a program started in 2004 to help children around the world take pride in their identity and heritage.
This year, about 8,000 students around the country plan to paint portraits for kids at 28 orphanages across the world. Students contribute $10 each to help fund the effort.
Wisconsin resident Ben Schumaker dreamed up the organization after meeting a man who had grown up in a Guatemalan orphanage and possessed no pictures of himself. Schumaker contacted high schools in his home state and got 15 students to make portraits for orphans in Haiti.
"When the children grow up, some walk out of the orphanages with literally nothing but the clothes on their backs," Schumaker said in an e-mail to the Times. "To have a portrait of themselves gives them one special belonging to take with them — a piece of personal heritage."
The Nazareth students understood the magnitude of their watercolor paintings, which took them about a week to complete. It’s the second year that art teacher Jackie Cervino has participated in the Memory Project. Last year, students sent paintings to orphans in Nicaragua.
"We try to do different outreach projects. We thought this would really showcase (the students’) talents," said Cervino, who began teaching at Nazareth seven years ago.
Schumaker travels around the world to hand-deliver the portraits to the various orphanages and collect photographs of the children posing with their pictures. He returned last week from bringing Nazareth’s paintings to El Salvador.
Other countries involved with the Memory Project include China, Mexico, South Africa and Iraq.
The students were happy their subjects seemed to enjoy their portraits.
"That was the best part, when we saw their faces," said senior Sara Cumming. "It is fun to realize they liked it."
The students said they drew the orphans as realistically as possible, including any blemishes or defects.
"One kid had crooked teeth, because they don’t have good dental care there," said Toale, who will attend the Moore College of Art and Design. "We didn’t change them. They’re happy with what they have."
The students are awaiting letters and drawings from the orphans. They will then work with one of the Spanish teachers at Nazareth to write letters back.
Another component of the Memory Project is Books of Hope, for which students of all levels create books for children in challenging situations. The program currently helps children rescued from slavery in India and civil war victims in Uganda.
Nazareth senior Alyssa Dorney, who plans to major in art in college, thinks all schools should work with the Memory Project and include interested students regardless of their aptitude for art.
"It doesn’t matter if (the painting’s) good or not. It matters that somebody cares enough about someone to make it," Dorney said.
Cervino and her students plan to show their creative hands at more service projects. Classes are currently designing jungle-themed tiles to create a mural for a pediatric unit at a local hospital. Toale might also design a Memory Project T-shirt.
"Nazareth is very helpful and supportive and encourages the girls to use their creative talents," Cervino said. "It’s just another way to help others." ••
To find out more about how your school can participate in the Memory Project, visit the project’s Web site at www.thememoryproject.org
Reporter Lauren Fritsky can be reached at 215-354-3038 or lfritsky@phillynews.com