Volunteer shares love of art with kids at St. Vincent’s

The first thing you can’t help but notice about Zane Kimes is the metal spike protruding from his chin. And that he seems to favor all-black clothing. Then he smiles and his face lights up, and that’s the impression he leaves you with.

That and the fact that he attends North Idaho College, works delivering pizza and volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul Art on the Edge program, where he helps kids going through difficult times express themselves through art.

“I like art. I like kids,” said Kimes, 19.

“He’s awesome with the kids. They adore him,” said Ami Manning, Art on the Edge instructor.

In his first year at NIC, the Post Falls High School graduate is taking an English class in research writing and argumentation. The class is one of several disciplines at NIC that give students the option of participating in “service learning,” in which they volunteer with a community organization.

Service learning “is real life engagement in a community issue,” explained Laurie Olson-Horswill, the instructor for Kimes’ class. Besides the paper that students must write, service learners keep a journal reflecting what they’re doing and what it means to them. The goal is not just to give students hands-on experience, but to connect them to the community and teach the value of service, Olson-Horswill said.

“These students write with conviction because they care about what they’re doing,” Olson-Horswill said.

In her class, students can either research and write a paper the traditional way or volunteer for an hour a week in the community and then write about it.

Kimes chose the latter. “Whenever I can, I like to do things firsthand,” he said. The topic that he’ll write about when he completes his semester of volunteering is the effect that art programs have on developing children.

“Zane is so optimistic about life. He wants to make a difference,” Olson-Horswill said. “He has an honesty, an openness that is really authentic. He’s just an authentic young man. He cares.”

At Art on the Edge, Kimes helps Manning set up for class, then clean up afterward. He helps the kids with their projects, providing guidance where needed. For one assignment the kids were supposed to pick a color and a corresponding emotion. They had a little trouble getting started, so Kimes helped the kids pick their colors.

“Art on the Edge is a place for (kids) to express themselves, to be comfortable with who they are,” he explained.

Before starting his project, Kimes admits he was little nervous about how the kids’ parents would react to him. “I was worried I wouldn’t have time to talk to them about this,” he said, pointing to his chin. The piercing hasn’t been a problem, and he said, “The kids seem to like it.”

“He intrigues the kids (because) he’s young, male, and the way he dresses,” Manning said. “And part of it is the way he interacts with the kids. He’s very open and honest.”

His effect on the kids has shown up in their artwork. Several kids have drawn his portrait for their art assignments.

The Art on the Edge class isn’t the first time Kimes has worked with kids. His junior year of high school, he served as an elementary school tutor. He went back to his alma mater – Seltice Elementary – and tutored first-graders for two periods a week.

After NIC, he plans to transfer to Boise State University and ultimately pursue a Ph.D. in psychology. “I like learning about how the human mind works,” he said.

Though he hasn’t had any formal training in art, he does pencil sketches and computer-aided graphics. “I’m interested in all kinds of art – drawing, painting, sculpting, music, dance. I play guitar,” he said. He likes to read, mostly philosophy and novels.

If his schedule permits next semester, he hopes to continue to volunteer at Art on the Edge. “Now that I’m here, I like it,” he said.