Babylon honor students paint portraits of Nicaraguan orphans

Shown in the photo, Babylon Junior-Senior High School National Art Honor Society members, left to right, top row, are Emily Wardell, Jessica Weber, Lisa Tarpinian and Tessa Stoecker and in the bottom row are Sienna Puleo and Gabriella Wilkens proudly displaying the portraits they created for Nicaraguan orphans as part of their participation in "The Memory Project."

Could you imagine not having one keepsake to call your own? Well, that is the case for many of the orphans living around the world. In an effort to give those children something that they can look back upon with fondness as they grow older, six members of Babylon Junior-Senior High School's National Art Honor Society (NAHS) recently lent their artistic abilities to create original portraits for orphan children in Nicaragua.

Through their participation in "The Memory Project" - a national project run by Ben Schumaker in Madison, Wisconsin, that invites high school art students to paint and draw portraits of children living in orphanages around the world based on a photograph provided - the students spent countless hours perfecting their projects.

As a special touch, NAHS advisor Cheryl Schweider explains how "the art students include a picture of themselves and sometimes a note to the child whose portrait they painted." When the portraits are delivered to the orphan children, Mr. Schumaker captures the moment on film and sends a picture of the young child with their painting. "It makes it so real for our students," added Schweider.

In order to participate in "The Memory Project," there is a small monetary cost, $15 per portrait. The NAHS works throughout the year to fundraise to cover the fee. In addition to the six portraits completed already, the organization's members are working on 10 other paintings, which will be delivered this summer.

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