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Youngsters Treated With Arts Festival Fun

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By LAURA FRAZIER

lfrazier@tampatrib.com

Published: February 25, 2009

BRANDON - Five-year old Roy Yerrakadu wriggled and giggled from the tickle of a paintbrush on his cheek at First Baptist Church of Brandon, where dozens of pint-sized partygoers were treated to an artsy array of activities featuring face paints, music, glitter and glue.

Yerrakadu's father, Andrew, said entertainment and craft projects offered at the Brandon Service League's 18th annual Very Special Arts Festival Feb. 17 were cleverly customized for the event's guests of honor: children enrolled in early learning programs at Hillsborough County schools.

"They are having so much fun," said Yerrakadu, whose son attends the program at Valrico Elementary.

He also praised the patience of service league members and high school students who supervised activities set up inside and outside the church.

"Some of these kids don't speak very well, but the volunteers are really tuned in to their nonverbal cues," he said.

The service league, a member of the General Federation of Woman's Clubs, sponsors the annual festival for preschool and kindergarten students enrolled in the Hillsborough County School District's early exceptional learning program. The initiative serves students with physical, mental, hearing and speech disabilities and those who do not speak English.

About 200 children from Colson, FishHawk Creek, Kingswood, Lopez, Mango, Seffner, Valrico and Yates elementary schools were accompanied to the event by teachers, aides and parent chaperones.

Tracey Biggers escorted her sons, Jayden and Jamey, and their classmate, Esmerelda Camerena, from table to table. The group lingered at a station strewn with multicolored feathers, paper cutouts and glue to make "turkeys."

Biggers said, "It's pretty cool. Crowded, but cool!"

The league relies on high school students to guide and assist children through each activity. This year, 45 students from Durant High School earned community service hours by volunteering.

The high school students put on puppet shows, encouraged the children to sing, dance and play musical instruments and helped them experiment with bubble soap.

Haley Quinzi volunteered for the second consecutive year. She played a part in the puppet show and, when the curtain closed, invited the children to come shake hands and talk with the puppets.

"We have so much fun here," Quinzi said. "I really like interacting with the kids."

Cathy Salamon, a teacher at Colson Elementary, said her students were delighted by the balloon animals and an opportunity to glue googly eyes onto paper cows. The standouts at the festival, though, were the teenage volunteers, she said.

"The enthusiasm of the high school students is just wonderful," Salamon said.

Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 657-4523.

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