James Clemens High School, Madison, Madison County Record, News, Schools, Z - News Main
 By  GreggParker Published 
6:04 pm Saturday, February 24, 2018

Jet artists’ paintings boost morale of Syrian children

MADISON – Impoverished children in Syria — some orphans, some disaster survivors — will receive a boost in morale with paintings by artists at James Clemens High School.

Art teachers Mason Overcash and Liz Vaughn received a postcard from The Memory Project. “We had been trying to find ways to connect our students to a global audience, so this landed in our laps,” Vaughn said.

A charitable nonprofit organization, The Memory Project invites art teachers and their students to create portraits from photographs of youth around the world who have faced substantial challenges, such as violence, disasters, extreme poverty, neglect and loss of parents. Those children receive the portraits, which hopefully spark feelings of self-worth and confidence. (memoryproject.org)

The Memory Project sent photographs of children from Syria for James Clemens artists to paint or sketch. “These kids are about eight to 11 years old,” Vaughn said.

Ben Schumaker, founder of The Memory Project, first worked with disadvantaged children in Guatemala. From that experience, Schumaker identifies children who can benefit from the portraits.

“I wanted to make someone smile,” James Clemens student Riley Norris said. “I wanted them to have something that’s just theirs, look at it and smile. It’s a good feeling to know that something you did brought joy to someone else.”

Hannah Einhorn “wanted to show a child that he or she has worthy; I wanted this child to know that people are rooting for him or her, even if they’re on the other side of the planet.”

Einhorn fulfilled her artistic purpose by using her talent to inspire confidence and security in others. “This project means unity, support, awareness and service. The children receiving their portraits will have a thoughtful memento to cherish, and the artists participating in this project have (shown) love to someone of a different culture and heritage, fostering a sense of empathy and friendliness around the world.”

When Vaughn sees images of the Syrian children, she thinks about her own childhood and the priorities she had. “Living in Syria at this time in history, I imagine that parts of their childhood are going to be missing or tainted,” Vaughn said. “I imagine that their portraits will be a sunny spot in a potentially difficult childhood.”

For more information, visit memoryproject.org.

Also on The Madison Record
Election to decide new mayor, three city council seats
A: Main, Madison County Record, News, ...
August 20, 2025
Superintendent Nichols calls for continuation of Madison half-cent tax for city schools
Madison County Record, News, Schools, ...
August 20, 2025
Family Book Festival to debut Aug. 21 at Blue Apple Books to celebrate reading
Events, Madison County Record, News, ...
August 20, 2025
LDS Church members give FamilySearch training at Madison Senior Center
Madison County Record, News, The Madison Recor, ...
Gregg Parker 
August 20, 2025
MADISON – A couple of local members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are providing FamilySearch training weekly at Madison Senior Ce...
James Clemens Theatre selects ‘Romeo and Juliet’ for one-act play
Madison County Record, News, The Madison Recor
Gregg Parker 
August 20, 2025
MADISON – James Clemens Theatre has wasted no time to prepare for its 2025-2026 season by selecting its one-act play for the fall semester and its ful...
Madison Blue Jets 8U team captures state title, invite to 2025 All-Star World Series
Madison County Record, News, Sports, ...
MIKE EASTERLING 
August 20, 2025
MADISON – Things looked bleak at the outset when the Madison Baseball Association 8U Blue USSSA All-Star State Championship tournament began in Oxford...
Rocket City Classic: Bama vs. Owls, a “homecoming”
Madison County Record, News, Sports, ...
Bob Labbe 
August 20, 2025
HUNTSVILLE - The 2025 Rocket City Classic, presented by Akima, will be a reunion in a familiar place as Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle announced that A...
Alabama State Chess Championship open to chess players
Living, Madison County Record, News, ...
Gregg Parker 
August 20, 2025
MADISON – Members of Madison City Chess League can set their sights on the Alabama State Chess Championship, scheduled for Labor Day Weekend, Aug 29 t...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *