Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (1888PressRelease)
July 29, 2008 - Laura Kelly Designs of Apex, in conjunction with the Craft & Hobby Association and the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, partnered to execute a three-hour Kids Craft Fair for 150 children of the General Robert E. Wood Boys & Girls Club of Chicago Center (BGCC) in Chicago, IL on July 16 as a way to say “thank you” to the greater Chicago area for hosting the CHA Summer Show for over two decades. In honor of the event an official proclamation designating July 16 as official "Kids Craft Day in Chicago” was issued by Chicago’s Honorable Mayor Daley.
In his proclamation Mayor Daly sited sharing a passion for crafts with kids, inspiring creativity, fostering manual dexterity, promoting social skills, enforcing spatial and conceptual faculties and helping build good will within the community as factors behind the proclamation. He further encouraged “all Chicagoans to recognize the importance of family and to spend quality time with their loved ones” on this day.
“We are so grateful to CHA members like Laura Kelly who made the Kids Craft Day possible,” explained Angela Benke, BGCC Program Director. “The projects they donated (card-making kits) are sure to be a hit with our kids.”
“I love opportunities to use my art and products in ways that support creativity and community, especially in the hands of children,” states Laura Kelly, a former Wake County, NC teacher turned professional artist.
Other CHA participating companies including Terri O, Duncan Enterprises, Jo-Ann Stores, Inc., FloraCraft, Arte Latin-Oh!, Creative Hands, Scrapbook Retailer Magazine, Memory Makers Magazine, EK Success, Ellison, Pack-o-Fun Magazine, Leisure Arts, Scrapbook Adhesives, and research partner Phoenix Multicultural. An additional 50 companies donated craft products to ensure that the BGCC had a complete year’s worth of crafting supplies and projects.
About Laura Kelly Designs:
Laura Kelly’s bold and whimsical art is widely recognizable by its mixed-matched usage of vibrant colors, patterns and themes. Her studio is located in the historic downtown of Apex, North Carolina. Her designs are licensed to companies around the country and are available on a plethora of products. Locally, Laura partners in art with Kidzpiks (www.kidzpiks.com) and Triangle TRACKS (http://www.triangletracks.com). For more information, please contact her studio at (919) 303-2101 or visit her online at http://www.shoplaurakelly.com.
About the BGCC:
Boys & Girls Club of Chicago (BGCC), an affiliate of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, strives to inspire all young people. Today, BGCC provide services through 32 locations with a staff of just over 325 professionals. Clubs are packed with an average daily attendance of 3,200 children. For more information about the BGCC, log onto http://www.bgcc.org.
About The Craft & Hobby Association:
The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) is a not-for-profit organization consisting of about 5,000 member companies engaged in the manufacture, distribution and retail sales of products in the $31 billion craft and hobby industry. The association offers a broad range of member services, including market research, education and consumer branding initiatives; and also operates two annual trade show events, the CHA Winter Show and CHA Summer Show that attract industry professionals from all over the world. For more crafting ideas go to http://www.craftplace.org.
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