Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — Some very talented students at the Goddard School of Philadelphia have focused on creating art masterpieces not only to explore art history at an early age but also for a charitable cause.

The students, in pre-kindergarten and pre-school age groups, studied a particular well-known artist and then went to work emulating them.

They learned about such icons as the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh and Philadelphia mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar.

Hilari O’Neill, Executive Director of the Goddard School, explains, “I really give so much credit to our teachers and faculty. They selected their individual classrooms and artists based on which they believed would be best for the kids to fully engage with. We had infants creating Jackson Pollock-inspired imitation splatter artwork, which was incredibly fun!”

The classrooms soon transformed, featuring watercolor renditions of iconic artists along each wall and were embellished with art installations in every classroom at the school located at 22nd and Pine in Philadelphia.

O’Neill says, “It’s a little bit of creative chaos but really it was a great opportunity. We change up our approach and our method to keep it fresh and fun and engaging not just for the kids, but the parents too.”

The artwork was then auctioned off as part of a benefit with parents bidding on their kids’ unique interpretations of the masterpieces. With these donations, the Goddard School was able to donate $10,000 to a local nonprofit called Fostering Hope.

Fostering Hope serves families looking to become foster homes. They help break down barriers to the process, donate items and make it easier for everyone involved.

For instance, the stigma attached to moving a child out and into a new home with just trash bags for their belongings has been mitigated by the gracious donations of real suitcases for that purpose.

Mary Mundy, Director of Outreach for Fostering Hope says, “If they want to keep a sibling group together, we will provide beds for them. For kids, a smartphone is a lifeline. Any youth between 14 and 21 can be recommended by a caseworker to receive a refurbished iPhone 11 or higher and a one-year mobile plan. So that’s an expense for us.”

The auction brought in much needed donated dollars for their mission.

In the end, the kids learned from the greats. And a great nonprofit received vital funds to further their cause.

For more information on Fostering Hope, please visit https://fosteringhopepa.com.

Check out the Goddard School at