CHARLOTTE — Once a week, a small group of students gathers at Grier Heights Presbyterian Church. They range from elementary-aged to high school, but all are there for one reason — exposure to the arts.
Kristy has been coming to the Grier Heights Community Youth Arts Program for about two years. The 17-year-old is a youth leader here.
“I would say, this has led me to be more open-minded with opportunities and just being open to learning new things,” she told Channel 9’s Elsa Gillis.
Volunteer Jeanette Price says that’s what this art program is all about.
Students enrolled in the program are introduced to various art forms and artists and get free admission to the Mint Museum.
One such artist is Naomi Rankin.
“We’re trying to show them a better way of life through the arts,” she said. “We’re trying to encourage them with public speaking. We’re trying to make sure that they are involved with something that is educational, something that keeps them off the street.”
Rankin is also a long-time volunteer who has watched the success of former students.
“There’s one right now that just came back last year, and she’s now teaching in the public school system, then we got a nurse out of the program, so we see the kids as they progress and move on in their lives,” she said.
The program is helping to lay a foundation for the future.
“I realized everybody has an art, and my art is the way that I dress, fashion, so everybody has an art,” Rankin said.
Around 600 young people have been through the program since it started in 2004. They’re also given a meal, transportation and support from a therapist, if needed.
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