For-Profit Business Turned Charity Helps Students Through Art
FREDERICTON – Jennifer Krueger, founder of the Estey Art Initiative, aims to help children through art and creativity. With the One4One Art Loan Program, children are given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The Estey Art Initiative is a charitable organization that operates across New Brunswick. Krueger says the organization aims to provide a “transformational art program” to third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students.
Kruger started in 2006 operating in just three schools. At the time, the Estey Art Initiative was a for-profit organization. But that quickly changed once Krueger realized the impact the art program was having on children.
After a principal reached out, she started by sponsoring just one child who had a difficult home life. But, by the end of the program, Krueger realized how important this was for children who have a similar home experience.
“The teacher noticed a huge difference in the child in class. The kid was all of a sudden raising their hand, their confidence was through the roof, it was a really important thing for him,” says Krueger.
Since then, the program has grown over time. Krueger says at its peak, it was operating in more than 70 elementary schools.
“Now, we are currently rebuilding after Covid because, like many organizations, we kind of had to seize operations when that happened,” she tells Huddle. “We [are operating in] about 25 schools this spring.”
The Estey Art Initiative operates as an after-school program that gives students the opportunity to stay once a week over a ten-week period. Families who can pay for the program will pay up to 60 percent of what it costs for supplies. Those that have more financial difficulty pay what they can, or sometimes pay nothing.
When asked where the other 40 percent of expenses come from, Krueger told Huddle about the One4One Art Loan Program. Having started as a fundraiser, Krueger says that it has developed into much more.
“It has become equal parts a fundraiser and a part of the program that children are really looking forward to being a part of,” she says.
The One4One Art Loan Program allows students to have the piece that they are the proudest of professionally framed. This piece is then rented to local organizations of any kind where it is put on display over the course of one year. With every piece of art that is rented, another child gets sponsored to participate in the Estey Art Initiative.
On Wednesday, February 15, the Estey Art Initiative and Porter O’Brien will be hosting an event at 412 Queen Street in Fredericton. Porter O’Brien will transform the first-floor common space of its building into an art gallery with 40 pieces of art from the One4One Art Loan Program. This area will be known as the “Red Brick Gallery”.
“We’re going to be inviting all 40 students [to this event]. All of our schools in Fredericton are represented in this gallery,” Krueger says. “The kids will be quite excited to go see their art hung in such a neat space.”
Ryley Roach is a Huddle student intern, based in Fredericton. Send her your feedback and story ideas: [email protected]