Dear Friend,

I wish you could have seen the "silent dreamer" who reached out to Save A Child Artist last week.

He was Robin, a 15-year-old boy, just released from a reform school, his spirit crushed and broken. His eyes carried the weight of tears from nights of self-harm, his hands scarred from schoolyard fights trembling. He was carrying an old battered case with an out of tune guitar he had not played in over a year —once his joy, now a relic of forgotten dreams.

 

Not just a fleeting sadness, but a deep, aching despair—he looked like he hadn’t found hope in years.

And he was lost. He was terrified, in fact.

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Robin grew up in a typical small town, his love for music—especially the guitar—stifled by family turmoil, bullying, and the harshness of reform school. He remembered a young girl he met, her own dreams silenced, begging him to hold onto his art.

 

But he withdrew in pain, lashing out at his environment, teetering toward drugs, crime, even the suicidal shadows he saw in others. Now, nearing his 16th birthday, he didn’t know where to turn.

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He heard about Save A Child Artist from a street kid who murmured, "It’s a place for creative kids —maybe they can help your music again, no judgment." So he came to us.

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When he arrived, our volunteer, a kind musician named Sarah, saw the fear in his eyes and said, "It’s okay, you’re safe here. She asked if she could see his guitar. " Sarah tuned the guitar herself, her steady hands guiding his scarred fingers back onto to the forgotten strings, and sat with him as he poured out his story—tears falling as he admitted his music felt dead. He hated himself for giving up, longing to play but afraid to try again.

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Days passed with extended chats and warm tea. Sarah somehow seemed to understand something nobody else had. His guitar wasn't a hobby - it was a life-line to his passion for creativity. It took awhile but then it happened, in a moment of grace, he began strumming the guitar and Sarah was stunned—the most beautiful Flamenco music she's ever heard filled the room. 

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Robin was not just a kid with a guitar. He was a gifted natural talent, capable of creating music that moved Sarah to tears right in front of him.

 

Sarah held his hand and said, "You have a gift Robin and that needs to be shared with the world. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. We’re here to help you do that . We’ll get you a real guitar, the right lessons, and a space to dream again—whatever you need. How does that sound?"

 

By the time he left that day, a small smile flickered—his first melody in years resonating with hope after so much silence, pain and darkness.

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That’s what Save A Child Artist is all about—it could not be any more simple or vital - reigniting the creative fire and the courage to dream again in kids like Robin.

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But we can’t do it without your help.

Right now, we’re gearing up, for 50 young artists across the country. Today it's watercolour paints for Mary, tomorrow it's woodworking tools for Thomas -  their spirits bruised by hardship—with thousands more waiting across the country, each needing a chance to heal.

 

The cost to nurture one child’s creativity for a year is $1,000—covering whatever they need most, tools, instruments, workshops, and mentorship to pull them from the edge.

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Will you help us give Robin and others like him a future?

Your gift of $25, $50, $100, $500, or even $1,000 today will make all the difference.

Please donate your most generous gift at: www.SaveA Child Artist.org today. And thank you for being the kind of person who believes in the power of art, not only to heal, but to help make the world a more joyous place for us all. 

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Marsha McDougal

Program Coordinator

Save A Child Artist 

P.S. Please give today—Robin and young highly creative kids like him need a loving hand right now to save them from despair.