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NILES – Michael Engram hopes that a family art festival will raise enough profit to fund a scholarship in the name of a longtime coach, but, more importantly, that many young people will fill their lives with valuable lessons and positive – one brush stroke at a time.
“My goal is for the students to be well balanced. We operate on four core values: academics, community service, leadership and mentorship, ”said Engram, referring to the philosophy that drives Game Changers, a leadership training and mentoring organization that he coaches and mentors. aimed at high school athletes.
The eight-year-old nonprofit also hosted the second annual Fall Sip & Paint event at Eastwood Field on Saturday, the first session of which gave young people the opportunity to express their artistic sense.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to establish the Phil Annarella “Don’t Quit” Scholarship, named after the late high school head football coach who died in June 2019 at the age of 70. In 1990, Annarella, who was the school’s most recently Austintown Fitch High coach, led Warren Harding’s 14-0 team to a Division I state title.
For Engram, however, Annarella’s legacy lies more in her accomplishments off the pitch than on the pitch.
“He was my mentor and I wanted to do something to honor him. He always cared more about the student than the athlete, ”said Engram, referring to Annarella’s top priority and his focus on students’ academic success.
Annarella also emphasized that sports programs teach character values, and it is with this in mind that Game Changers operate regardless of their athletic ability, Engram said. He added that funds from the Sip and Paint event will also be used for youth programming and to take two high school athletes from the area to the 2022 Espy Awards next summer in Los Angeles.
A primary goal was to raise around $ 50,000, Engram noted.
He also expressed his thanks and gratitude to Cafaro Co. and 11 restaurants in the area for their help in the effort.
Sonya Davenport, a 40-year-old artist who attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and Houston before graduating from the Art Institute of Atlanta, led the first of two Sip & Paint-themed sessions. fall.
“I teach them to cover the whole picture and make them visually see what they are painting,” said Davenport, whose interest in art blossomed in second grade.
Davenport gave a series of art demonstrations during the event where young people painted on art boards from owl stencils and adults painted sunflowers.
Her artistic prowess has also crossed the field of writing with her children’s book, titled “Jaxon Swag in Color with God,” which comes out in November, which combines religion and the importance of color, she said. Explain.
Color was the main theme of Jocelyn Davenport’s painting of an owl, in which she used bright orange to surround the white formation of the bird’s features.
“I like to paint in my spare time. It calms me down, ”said Jocelyn, 12, of Warren, who is Sonya Davenport’s niece.
Jocelyn, who attends McGuffey Pre-K-8 School and is part of the track and field and cheerleader teams, added that she hopes to become a traveling nurse or pursue a career in sports medicine.
“She loves to paint. She was thrilled to come out today and paint, ”said Warren’s Dante Capers of his daughter, Elizabeth, 4, whom he guided as she added colorful splashes to his owl painting.
“For me it was a great opportunity to spend time with my daughter and support a great cause.”
A similar story unfolded for 12-year-old Donovan Stringer of Warren and his father, Kevin Stringer, who runs an after-school program at schools in the town of Warren. Father and son actively painted a sunflower and an owl, respectively.
Donovan, who also attends McGuffey Pre-K-8 School, said he had a moderate interest in art, adding that he was better at painting than drawing.
For Champion’s Tim Raimey and his wife Tammy, the Sip & Paint gathering was an opportunity to help Engram in his efforts to point young people in positive directions, they said.
The event also included a second session for adults.
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