ROGERS, Ark. — Arkansas Arts Academy partnered with the nonprofit Hugs from Friends to host “NWA Honors Ukraine.” Community members from all different types of backgrounds came together to show their support.
Trevor Dane, the co-founder of Hugs from Friends said, “It is so important, what we're doing to show the people of Ukraine that people right here in NWA are thinking about them and care about them and are engaged.”
Hugs from Friends is a nonprofit organization that encourages American kids to create artwork for Ukrainian children and families impacted by the war. Dane created the organization after taking a trip to Poland last summer.
Dane said, “I saw the power that kids' art gives to people in Ukraine. So, I wanted to come back and start something here in Northwest Arkansas and so we’ve been working with schools and community organizations since.”
Since the start of the school year, Arkansas Arts Academy students have been studying Ukrainian culture through art, music, and history.
“For example in my Spanish class, we got to translate some of the Ukrainian phrases, it’s a way to learn the language and connect more. We got to make cards and envelopes to send with kind words of encouragement,” Senior Alyssa Coleman at Arkansas Arts Academy said.
The school recently received a package from students in Ukraine that consisted of artwork, a Ukrainian flag, and words of encouragement.
“It’s been such a blessing to honor them in that way and putting it up was such a full circle moment because you get to see what they really are going through,” Coleman recalled.
Friday morning, students at the academy got to have a zoom call with students in Ukraine and opened the special gift.
“They sang to us, they asked questions, we had an hour of just really wonderful conversation,” said the Director of Art Integration at Arkansas Arts Academy Aaron Jones.
It’s easy to see the impact on students both here at home and abroad.
"This conversation has been so important for our students, we are so blessed to be here in the United States and for our students to be able to see what's taking place in 2023. It's just unbelievable—it generates all these conversations about the differences we can make," Jones said.
“It’s heartwarming for them to see that they are not forgotten, and that’s the message that we want to show them, that they are not forgotten here in Northwest Arkansas,” Dane said.
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