JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Hope at Hand is a nonprofit that works with at-risk youth to bring healing through writing and poetry.
On Friday, the non-profit teamed up with Garden City Elementary for a poetry festival after losing their classmate, Vanity Cabrera last month in a car crash.
"Today what we wanted to do in memorial of one of our kindergarteners that we tragically lost a month ago is just bring some happiness and some joy in our building and offer our students some healing through different activities," Garden City Reading Coach, Jamie Gustason.
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Every grade level participated in writing and art activities throughout the day.
“These skills are so transferable and what we really want to do with our curriculum is just offer ways that they can incorporate pencil and paper right things that are at their reach at a moment's notice whenever they may need them or they feel the need to release kind of some strong emotions or maybe some feelings they may be having," Gustason.
The students also created memorial art full of letters to Vanity and her family. The artwork will be given to the family over the weekend.
To learn more about Hope at Hand's services, click here.
