Young asked to help shelter with art

Mon., Aug. 7, 2006

Paula M. Davenport Correspondent

The rules

St. Margaret's Shelter Postcard Contest rules:

Youths ages 4 to 19 are invited to create images that show "What home means to me."

Entries should be 8 ½-by-11-inches in size and include an original short poem or written description (100 words or less) about the artwork.

Watercolor, crayon, pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, acrylics, a photo of an original sculpture and 3-D details are among the materials young artists may choose.

Include your full name, age, complete mailing address and phone number with your entry.

Mail entries to P.O. Box 2253, Spokane, WA 99210-2253 or drop them off at Catholic Charities, 1023 W. Riverside Ave. in Spokane. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Submissions must be postmarked by Aug. 25. Winners will be notified by Sept. 8.

The three best entries in each of four age categories will be chosen to be reprinted on the fronts of postcards. Age groups are: 4 to 7, 8 to 11, 12 to 15 and 16 to 19.

By drawing a picture or creating a sculpture and writing a short poem or essay about “What does home mean to me?” area youths can help homeless women and children who are trying to turn their lives around.

Twelve entries from youths ages 4 to 19 will be chosen to be reprinted on the front of postcards that St. Margaret’s sends out to supporters of its downtown shelter.

The St. Margaret’s Postcard project spotlights the dreams and needs of women and children looking to escape abuse, addiction and destitution, said Loreen McFaul, development director of Catholic Charities Spokane, the nonprofit that runs St. Margaret’s Shelter.

“Some of them arrive with just the clothes on their backs and their children,” she said.

In 2000, women and children were welcomed into St. Margaret’s new facility, which has room for 18 families and has been filled to capacity since it openen. Of the 900 women and children who’ve since been helped by the shelter, 85 percent are non-Catholic, said McFaul. There’s now a three-to-four month waiting period to get in. In addition to safe housing, women receive counseling, parenting classes, education and work opportunities and help finding day care. Their stays may last up to two years.

“We can all be judged by how we treat those who are most vulnerable among us,” McFaul said.

Keeping the shelter running takes a fair amount of funding. Here’s where the postcards – which at 81/2 x 51/2 inches and resemble little art posters – fit in.

Each month, 2,500 of the cards are mailed to folks who’ve befriended the shelter’s mission. Hopeful messages and artwork appear on the front. Candid photos and thoughts of families receiving shelter assistance as well as short lists of items the shelter needs, from grocery money to diapers, are shown on back.

“We have wonderful support from a volunteer graphic designer; the cards are printed free by Sacred Heart Medical Center Print Shop and volunteers do the bulk mailing,” McFaul said. “Last year the postcard project brought in about $44, 000.”

Since the campaign’s beginnings, works donated by area female artists have graced the front of the cards.

Next year, the shelter wants to tap the creativity of kids.

“We wanted to get new and different art work and extend our story out into the community and we really wanted to involve children,” McFaul said of the contest.

The top three entries from each of four age-groups will be featured on next year’s cards. Judges will include community volunteers and staff from Catholic Charities and Sacred Heart Medical Center.

“The more funding we receive, the more we can do to assist these families and that’s why the postcard project is so important,” McFaul said.