Artwork created by students at Cascade Locks Elementary is displayed at Buddy’s Beer Arcade — and can be purchased as part of a fundraiser that ultimately goes back to the school in the form of art supplies.
Artwork created by students at Cascade Locks Elementary is displayed at Buddy’s Beer Arcade — and can be purchased as part of a fundraiser that ultimately goes back to the school in the form of art supplies.
CASCADE LOCKS — Cascade Locks Elementary School is again fully stocked up on all sorts of art supplies, from markers to pom-poms, thanks to a local business fundraiser.
At first, Buddy’s Beer Arcade just wanted to showcase student art from the local elementary school. Then last year, proprietor Albert Nance started selling kids’ art, $5 apiece, for donations to the school. “I was like, ‘You know what? I could go ahead and give this money back to them, and they can have, like, a pizza party,’” Nance said.
Then he decided to ask for donations from the community, and the project grew.
Nance’s daughter is in first grade at Cascade Locks Elementary. “She said that making art makes her happy,” he said. “And when she said that ... that’s when I was like, ‘You know what? I need to get the art supplies.’”
Instead of a pizza party, Nance gave Cascade Locks Elementary School a couple of thousand dollars in art supplies from Tokki Art Supply. This year, Nance repeated the fundraiser and, with a little more than $2,500, purchased the school’s entire list of requested art supplies — “Everything from pom-poms to colored pencils to canvases ... we literally bought everything they needed,” he said.
He added that regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds, art is “known to help kids with everything from math and science ... to getting better grades at school and actually attending school better.”
Art is still on display in the Kid’s Corner at Buddy’s Arcade, 455 WaNaPa St., Cascade Locks. Their website is buddysbeerarcade.com.
This kids have gotten wind of this, and now donate special pieces of art they want displayed.
Visitors who purchase a piece, or simply donate, can support the fundraiser — which Nance said he aims to repeat annually “as long as I’m in business!”
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