June 2010 Newsround

As part of The Helen Foundation's programme supporting artist workshops in schools, students at Dawlish Community College enjoyed a remarkable day working with African art collector who brought rare and precious original African artefacts to the college for students to study and draw. Students commented afterwards:

"I learned loads! Now I will make bolder decisions about what objects to select when drawing."

"It helped me understand why and how these pieces of art were made."

"It was good seeing actual artefacts, not just photos."

We are trialing a Helen Foundation page on Facebook. If you are a regular Facebook user, just click on the following link - find us on facebook! - and you can then browse the photos in the albums and encourage the youngsters with appreciative comments where you can. Further pics of all events featured in this newsletter can be seen, though we seek to avoid showing individual children's faces or names. Over 1,000 fans saying that they "like this" already - let's make it 2,000!

Dartmoor-based MED theatre ran a three day film project with pupils at Bovey Tracey School, supported by The Helen Foundation. The youngsters had a terrific time! Using all the professional equipment- cameras, boom mikes, lighting - they made up their own story to film. Brilliant project! Brilliant fun!

Plenty more wonderful photos of the film-marking workshop can be seen in the "photo gallery" section of our website! Check it out!

Supported by The Helen Foundation, Coombeshead College is running an exciting programme this summer. 'Make a Radio Play in 4 Days' and 'Your Tube 2010' TV production course, both offer young people special opportunities to work with experts in radio and tv. We shall report in a future newsletter.

Cloudi Lewis, aged 16, received a Foundation Bursary to help repair her guitar and pay for singing lessons that will further her ambitions in music. Her teacher is full of praise for Cloudi's efforts: "Cloudi has the makings of a beautiful voice and she works hard within the lesson period. After twelve months of studies with me, I entered her for Grade 5 singing and to Cloudi's credit she was awarded an excellent pass". We wish Cloudi well with her future studies.

Pupils at Canada Hill School has a great time working with a wide variety of food and plant materials in making remarkable rangoli designs. One of India's most well-known art forms, rangoli has huge scope for the imagination, with its bright colours and varied textures.

Trustees of the Foundation were keen to support a young student when her parent wrote to us to express her concerns about her musical progress: "She is on the gifted and talented register for music. She has a real passion for music and wants to be a primary school teacher, specializing in music. I am struggling to be able to afford her lessons and I am writing to ask if The Helen Foundation could help."

After her application being supported by an excellent reference from her teacher and a bursary from the Foundation, this student is now able to continue with her lessons and we wish her every success with her ambitions.

We are supporting Sonora Dicker in a dance course this year and we recently received this touching account from her mother: "Today, during a private class, a little 9-year old dance student watched spell-bound. She told me that Sonora was lovely and I told her to share that with Sonora. The little girl, blushing red to the roots of her blonde hair, approached Sonora. And it was just a magic moment. The baton being passed not through the big stage or screen but through real human contact. It was really lovely. An inspiration to both of them. You would have been proud and touched. May our local kids go forth and conquer!!!"

A young man we are supporting with his piano lessons who faced serious challenges at school and at home, wrote to us recently about how important his teacher is to him: "At first piano was just a hobby but then "M" became my teacher and now music is my life. Now I want to go to music college and eventually become a musician. Also, "M" is teaching me so fast I am whizzing through my grades. Without "M", just a different teacher, I would probably still be preparing for my Grade 2. Another thank you from me and the family."

AIMS is a small charity in Dawlish that supports children with learning difficulties and their families by running enjoyable activities for all of them to work together. They wrote to us saying:

"We find that all the children and adults respond well to music, dance, craft and cooking.We try to get the children to work together on projects whether making a dragon, music, a film or playing football. Often these children are not involved in group activities in school because of their differences and it is pleasing to see them working together on a joint venture. Learning to co-operate and negotiate is not always easy for them.

The Helen Foundation is pleased to make a grant to AIMS so that artist Lauren Ballard can help make a sculpture. Her idea is to make a sculpture which people can sit on for the Dawlish TRAIL - the festival of sculptures made from recycled materials that is such a feature of Teignmouth and district during the summer.

The Helen Foundation, in conjuction with two other charities and the traders in Teignmouth, jointly organised a three-day festival in Teignmouth over the May Bank Holiday, reviving the very popular Harbour Fiestas of the 1970's and 1980's. The event began with the Blessing of the Boats ceremony where church leaders blessed a wide range of craft moored in the river. Young photographer, Laura Roberts, used the camera recently acquired through a Helen Foundation grant for her photographic studies to record the event. Thank you Laura! More of her photos are on the Helen Foundation page on Facebook and also up in the "photo gallery" section of our website. Thank you very much to all those who were able to respond to our call for help during this very enjoyable festival.

The British 10k London Run has been a really successful fundraising event for the Foundation over each of the past 4 years, and has raised literally thousands and thousands of pounds to help us support our charitable objectives. This success has been down to the fantastic response, support, commitment and dedication we have received, and continue to receive, from our supporters who knew and loved Helen personally, plus those who know of her and of our charity.

The race takes place this year on Sunday 11th July 2010 and starts at 9.35am. This will be fifth and final time that we shall be organizing this particular fund-raising event, so we really want as many friends and supports of the Foundation to join us as possible. If you would like to be involved please check out the separate "British 10K London Run 2010 - Join Us!" article that we have recently posted up on the website.

Foundation Patron Floella Benjamin has received a peerage in the May Honours List. We warmly congratulate Floella on becoming Baroness Benjamin. She will take her seat in the House of Lords and we know she will be a great advocate for the well-being of young people.