Stateside donations give Kyrgyz students tools of art trade

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Phyllis Hanson
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFNS) --  Members of the 376th Expeditionary Medical Group here delivered handmade art easels and art supply donations in May to children of the Atbashinskaya School in Manas Village, Kyrgyzstan.

The art supplies came from care packages sent from American servicemembers' family and friends in the United States after Airmen here asked for donations to suit local Kyrgyz communities' needs rather than their own. 

"The idea came from the longstanding relationship we have with the school," said Col. Gerard Caron, the 376th EMDG commander. "The director of the school had asked for help in building an art studio. They wanted to make the one they had better, but it was difficult for them to get the supplies. In particular, they didn't have enough easels for the entire class."

Through the fast communication that e-mail offers, Colonel Caron described to his brother Dan Caron about the school he and other Airmen had been helping out. He wrote that the school staff had hopes to create an art studio, which was nonexistent. Those who had any artistic abilities couldn't pursue their dreams if they'd wanted to. Jumping right in, Mr. Caron, a teacher at Kingswood Regional High School in Kingswood, N.H., read the e-mail to his homeroom class.

The students immediately decided they wanted to help out. One of the woodworking technology students, David Hersey, worked with the school's woodshop class to build the easels as one of their woodshop projects, said Colonel Caron who is deployed from the Air Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.

The class designed and built 12 easels and other students took efforts to help raise money to pay for the building materials and postage.

"I'm impressed with the students. It's not cheap to ship things that large, so the students themselves held fundraisers in order to pay for postage which was at least $200. Not to mention paying for the materials," said Colonel Caron, who is originally from Nashua, N.H. "The students in New Hampshire are showing interest now in writing back and forth with the students here."

While the easels were being built, friends and family of Colonel Caron were busy gathering art supplies down in San Antonio. Headed by Celina Rios-Mullan, the art supplies were donated by members of St. Francis of Assisi, said Colonel Caron.

His wife and friends there purchased plentiful supplies of paint, canvas and brushes for the Manas students' artistic pursuits.

During the past few months, the team has helped with several other projects at the school such as small repairs and even purchased them a computer and printer for the administration office.

"We helped with several things, many things I don't think the school's director expected to see come to fruition. This project came at a good point of completion as many of us are finishing our deployment rotation," Colonel Caron said. "When you think of deployment you think of war and destruction. I think our families and friends back home never expected that we'd be involved in this kind of friendship and outreach. 

"We are pleased and gratified by the response we got from friends back home in the United States. Their outpouring and willingness to help people that they've never met before, literally a half a world away, is commendable. Just through my e-mails and occasional photos people were willing to step up and $800 in materials that friends have donated," Colonel Caron said.

Those materials were delivered via a group that makes frequent visits. They are normally greeted by the students en masse. On this day it was no exception, but there seemed to be even more enthusiasm because wishes were becoming reality.

"We can't thank the women and men of Manas Air Base enough for their generosity. There are many gifted kids in the school and especially in fine arts. It was one of my dreams to have an art studio for the students," said Lyubov Nickolaevna Borodulina, the school director. "With these donations we will now be able to open the art studio for 20 students who can take the class at the same time. We have a wonderful art teacher who has encouraged our students and helped them develop them in fine arts. In the last few years, the students' artwork has been taken to exhibitions in Bishkek. 

"So much effort has been brought forth from our American friends, they are the ones who make this dream come true," she said.