Over forty elementary-aged children gathered in the Irmo Community Park to collaborate, paint, and produce art, working alongside an artist. The artist shared her journey, her WHY, the tools she uses to create, and her passion for art with the students. She encouraged the kids to literally “make their mark” in SC Career Kids. Kids were asked to paint anything and everything that they could imagine freely.

After the children created their masterpieces, together, we complied the paintings to generate each notecard image. Kids commented and pointed out their contributions. “Hey, that’s my orange background.” “That’s Mason’s dinosaur next to Artie’s man.” “My person was turned into an angel with someone’s splatter painting as wings. That is so cool.”

What started as our kick-off event, quickly turned into something exceptional. Not only did children “Make their Mark in SC Career Kids” in October 2021, but kids also experienced hands-on how bringing everyone’s talents to the table creates an exceptional outcome. From the mouths of our SCCK babes, “Painting with our friends was fun. My artwork was cool, and I loved it. But look at how the cards turned out when everyone’s ideas came together!” Important life lessons are being planted as we continue our initiative of growing a collaborative, problem-solving, future workforce.