Our company started in October 1994 as group
of city and suburban neighbors joined together painting murals to fight
‘graffiti’ – a very serious problem in Philadelphia in 1994.
We were going to paint one mural
taking three weeks (See Everyone’s
Art). On the first day
fifteen kids helped out. After the
first week we had fifty kids.
Within a month we had over 150 kids. The kids were so enthusiastic that
we had to ask for more wall space from surrounding businesses.
The first kids’ mural was
completed in two weeks, and we then moved down the alley to paint four more
murals. Completion of the initial large
“three week” mural took one year.
Our three-week project turned into seven years.
We have had and over 1000 kids in
our Art program. We have completed thirty-five murals.
We have created four Art Centers
and 25 Computer labs. We have
partnered with the General Services Administration and the School Board of
Philadelphia and local corporations to create the “Computers for
Philadelphia Kids Program”. We have taught Windows and distributed PCs to
more than 4000 kids and their families.
(This once-unique OAAC program has become the model for numerous similar
programs now in place throughout the country.)
In April 1996 we became a 501(c) (3) Non-profit
corporation.
