Compassionate St. Augustine has received a $500 State of the Arts grant from the St. Johns County Cultural Council for the non-profit organization’s Compassion Through the Eyes of Children 3 program.
Part of a continuing vision of Compassionate St. Augustine, the program will take place at the St. Johns County Youth Academy, a residential facility for boys 14-18 who are required to stay in the care of the Department of Juvenile Justice for an extended time.
In addition, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation recently presented the group with an award for Outstanding Recognition in Preservation Education/Media to for the Obelisk Art 450 Tour of Compassion public art project and Compassion Through the Eyes of Children.
The award recognizes outstanding heritage education programs, including books, brochures, curriculum, DVDs, website, interactive media and other publications that deal with historic preservation or local history.
As part of the Tour of Compassion public art project, a temporary international public art initiative produced 25 painted obelisks, 8.5-foot tall replicas of the 30-foot Monumento de la Constitucion obelisk on St. Augustine’s public square. Participating artists were challenged to interpret the four foundational values of the monument, originally dedicated in 1813, to uphold the values of freedom, democracy, human rights and compassion.
“Receiving recognition like this from our local cultural agency and the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation is incredibly meaningful to an organization like Compassionate St. Augustine,” said Ann Roark, vice president of Compassionate St. Augustine. “We are made up of passionate volunteers, and this confirms we are moving forward in the right direction; we are truly honored.”
