Kids Art Box and Reach One Teach One Uca will partner for a fish fry fundraiser to raise money for children in underserved communities on July 17 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. The event will include kids’ activities like bounce houses and will take place at Hope City Church, 7 N. Tuxedo Ave. in Chattanooga. In addition, Kids Art Box will provide face painting for free with their summer art kits available for purchase. Forty percent of art kit sales on July 17 will be donated to Reach One Teach One Uca. Tickets to the fish fry will be $7 and can be purchased at the time of the event.
Reach One Teach One Uca (R.O.T.O) is an Early Intervention Program for children ages five to 14. R.O.T.O is organized with the mission of providing Chattanooga’s underserved youth with opportunities to explore insight on community and careers and develop a positive outlook on the rest of their lives. Reginald Yearby considers himself a mentor and life coach to local youth in this vulnerable age group who need positive role models. His goal of the fish fry is to raise $5,000 to send the children to Six Flags. He says, “Most of our kids don’t get a vacation; in fact, some of them will never see a city outside of Chattanooga. So, we do our best to give them that exposure so that they can dream and see that anything is possible.”
Kids Art Box is a family-owned business that uses the Montessori method to teach children ages three-12 how to create art. Founder Melanie Phillips said partnering with Reach One Teach One Uca was a natural fit because she has the same passion for working with children. She said her husband Nick, who helped create the company, grew up similarly to the kids in R.O.T.O. “He regularly missed out on trips and vacations that his friends’ went on and spent many nights eating at friends’ houses. He moved out of his mom’s house when he was 16, briefly lived at a friend’s house for three months, and then got his own apartment. He credits the positive adult influences in his community for helping him gain the confidence to accomplish his goals and dream big,” said Ms. Phillips.
Kids Art Box will sell their summer kits and gift cards at the fish fry on July 17, and 40 percent of all proceeds will go to Reach One Teach One Uca. Customers can purchase one box for $35, two boxes for $59, and three boxes for $85. The “Mommy and Me Art Box” is for children ages three thru six, and each box comes with three art activities, one science project, and one visual recipe. The “Daddy and Me Art Box” is for children ages four thru seven, and each box comes with three art activities, one science project, and one origami tutorial. “My Artist Box” is for children ages six thru 12. Each box comes with three art activities and a diorama, all inspired by the artist of the month. Boxes can also be purchased at kidsartbox.com.
