Calendar Project- Adapting to the New Normal!

Hello Community!

At the end of each cycle for the Trenton Municipal Alliance Grant, the Coordinator- along with the Mercer County Division of Youth does an undertaking called The Calendar Project. We specifically ask them to express how drugs, alcohol, and violence has shaped their lives and they express that through poems, drawings, and paintings. We collaborate with primary and middle school students, art teachers, and faculty.  Rob Fiorello, Yolanda Leon, and I, made our way to Christina Seix Academy in Trenton for this year.

As the pandemic has been sweeping its way through New Jersey, schools closed down and the possibility for this project became a difficult undertaking. Thirty- eight children from Christian Seix participated in the Calendar Project, and we wanted to still honor their efforts.

So, we compromised. I took supplies from the Mercer Council and put together the bags filled with art supplies, mental health tools, and fun things to play with. We’re so excited for the children who used their art to express themselves to recieve these bags. It shows they are valued and their hard work did pay off!