Artwork paves way for charitable giving

Lynbrook High School junior Sean Kemp’s passion for artwork took a new turn this holiday season as he created greeting cards and raised $4,650 to help the less fortunate children in the community.

“I figured the holidays were coming so this would be a great way for people to see my artwork,” said Kemp, a Hewlett resident and Five Towns Community Chest Youth Board member.

With an idea in hand for the greeting cards, Kemp called Five Towns Community Chest Director Bob Block for help. “I thought his artwork was magnificent,” he said. “So we developed a package for sale and (Kemp) requested that the Community Chest work with him on it. It’s a wonderful concept when any student comes to us and says ‘I have an idea of how I could raise money and use funds for people who are less fortunate than me in the community.’”

Marc Kemp, Sean’s father, guided his son and helped him with marketing, Block said. Kemp chose three pieces of his artwork; sneakers, a still life and a drawing of a taxicab, to be put on the cards that were available in sets of 12 for $25. “They’re meant for the holidays but they are images of fun pictures and things I like,” Kemp said.

The money was donated to The Crossroads School and The Five Towns Early Learning Center, both in Inwood, and the Five Towns Community Center in Lawrence.

Block said it’s important to teach younger generations to reach out and help others. “They can use their parents as role models,” he said. “When a friend of Sean’s sees him doing this, they’ll see the good feeling Sean gets and maybe community service will become contagious.”

Marc said he’s very proud of his son for helping his fellow community members. “It’s really nice that he wants to help people who are struggling and those who are less fortunate than him,” Marc said. “I hope he continues to try and have a positive influence on others and set a good example.”

Kemp hopes to continue making greeting cards in the coming years. “I’m talking to Community Chest about doing the greeting cards again next year for another occasion and involving more kids,” he said. “So it wouldn’t just be me doing it and we can increase the profits to help more people.”

The greeting cards may be continued for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, according to Block. “We’re looking at ways to continue his greeting card efforts and use his artistic talents as a fundraising tool,” he said. “I wish every student and neighbor thought like Sean because if they did, we would live in the most glorious neighborhood in the world.”