CCS Students Support Causes Through Crafts
by Rowan Beck,
November 17, 2011, page 9.....

This year the Charlotte Central School’s (CCS) Artisan and Craft Fair will be held on Saturday, December 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at CCS. It is more than just a fundraiser for the school. Several students will be selling their wares to raise money for specific charities, and there are other exhibitors who are making charitable donations with their proceeds. According to event chair Nancy Forrest, “At this point we have 45 exhibitors of woodworking, quilting, knitting, oil paintings, watercolor paintings and prints, fine jewelry made from silver, aluminum, beach glass and crystal, belts, hair accessories, bags, photography, culinary items, pottery, sewing, ties, fresh green holiday arrangements, cat toys and beds.” Exhibitors are mainly from Vermont, but there are at least two from New York. Euro Restaurant, a frequent participant at the Shelburne Farmer’s Market, is selling food and beverages. There will be something for everyone.
The students who are supporting specific causes range in age as well as in charities. Two are sisters, Simone and Schuyler Edgar Holmes, in the eighth and third grades. They will be selling jewelry, glitter gel, hair feathers and tinsel. Simone began selling her wares at the Burlington Art Hop, motivating her sister. Simone makes water-inspired earrings in response to the recent Irene flooding. The charity she and her sister have chosen is the West Hartford Library, specifically the children’s section, which was destroyed by the flooding. They have chosen this charity specifically due to their love of reading and a desire for life to be fair.
Meghan Mahoney, a sixth grader, will be selling beaded jewelry for her project called “Beads for Burma.” In 2009 Megan visited a clinic in Burma and met an orphan baby who was being cared for by the clinic nurses. She was very moved by this experience. When she returned home, she decided she wanted to send money to support the orphans and the care the clinic provides for Burmese refugees, so she began making and selling beaded jewelry. One hundred percent of her proceeds go to the clinic.
Elizabeth Spicer, a fifth grader, will also be displaying her beadwork. She has chosen to support the Chittenden County Humane Society. She began beading because of her love of animals and desire to help them. She had seen so many up for adoption online. She wondered how and why they were there. “Had they been abused?” She wants to help them get proper care, so whenever she has the money, she gives half of it to the Humane Society.
The CCS Artisan and Craft Fair does more than support the enrichment programs at the school. It reaches far and wide. Two other exhibitors are raising money, one for the blind and another for stroke victims. So when you begin the mad dash for the holidays, check it out; you’ll be supporting more than just the Charlotte community. For more information on this event, go to the website at ccsfairvt.org.