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Newport Art Sale Will Benefit School In Nepal |
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Friday, 30 October 2009 |
By CHRISTOPHER ROY
Express Staff Writer
Margo Hickson’s paintings have brought delight to people for years. Now half the proceeds from the sale of her paintings currently displayed in Montgomery’s Café in downtown Newport will be put towards building a school for orphans and homeless children just outside of Katmandu in Nepal.
“I honestly don’t believe that color or country defines children,”
Hickson said during a telephone interview Monday evening. Hickson,
formerly of Magog, Quebec, now lives in an assisted living facility in
Kittery, Maine. “They are all children of the human race.”
The organization hoping to build the school is Developing Hands from
Frederick, Colorado. Hickson’s daughter, Holly Richardson of Derby, who
is also selling paintings to help build the school, said the
organization has already raised $20,000 of the $60,000 that is
necessary to build the school, buy equipment, and cover the first-year
operation costs. She said her family was interested in helping, but
didn’t have a lot of money to donate.
“My mom and I thought we could donate the proceeds from the sale of our
art,” said Richardson. This process started with an art and tag sale at
her home on Shattuck Hill in August.
The family got interested in children from Nepal after Hickson’s
daughter, Marcia Hickson who lives in Stephentown, N.Y., adopted a
little boy named Roshan, from an orphanage 11 years ago. Officials from
the home found him crawling on the streets of Katmandu at one year old.
Hickson said it is believed his parents died while attempting to
immigrate from Tibet to Nepal.
Roshan was one of the lucky ones. According Margo Hickson, there are
hundreds more children who have no families and are living on the
streets. She said some of those kids dig holes in the ground so they
can keep warm while sleeping at night.
“There are 50,000 children living on the streets eating trash every day,” said Richardson.
Richardson is very close to Developing Hands. Her nephew, Nicholas
Reynolds of Lexington, Mass., co-founded the organization after growing
up with Roshan and meeting two men from Nepal while working in
Colorado.
Mukesh Jha, a second co-founder, said the organization came into
existence on June 17, 2005. The main goal is to build the school for
homeless children who range in age from five to 12 years old.
“We are hoping to start our project as soon as possible,” said Jha. He
said that he wants all of the money in place before any construction
starts. “We don’t want to get stuck without any money.”
At first, the school will accept 100 children. He said there are other
schools in the community, but no homeless children go there.
“They all ask for money,” said Jha of the schools. “Our goal is to provide free schooling to students who are orphans.”
The school will also serve as a place for the homeless children to
live, said Hickson, who now feels she is doing something more than
painting pretty pictures.
“It makes a big difference,” said Hickson. “I just pray someone will like them so we can get that money over there.”
The paintings both women are selling cost between $80 to $500.
Richardson is planning to hold other fundraisers as well. One is having
the women of Nepal make items that can be sold in the United States.
Proceeds from that will help them support their families and others.
Jha hopes more schools will open elsewhere once the one in Nepal is up and going.
For more information about Developing Hands, click to http://developinghands.org/
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Last Updated ( Monday, 02 November 2009 )
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