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.
