In the summer of 2012, Tameka Raymond lost her son 11 year-old son Kile Glover, to a tragic jet-ski accident on Atlanta’s Lake Lanier.
[READ: Tameka Raymond Speaks About Her Quest to Push Tougher Boating Laws… (VIDEO)]
[PHOTOS: Tameka Raymond Hosts Event to Launch ‘Kile’s World Foundation’…]
Kile’s World Foundation’s mission statement is, ?Gifting children with endless possibilities of creative endeavor through applied, fine and performing arts,? and the goal of the foundation is to ensure that children have a nurturing environment where inquisitiveness is encouraged, knowledge is shared and freedom to hone their crafts is assured.
That being said… through the foundation, Raymond plans to offer art-based camps to several kids and seeks enthused, talented applicants between the ages 10-17 to send in a video showcasing their talent.
Details below…
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The Kile’s World Foundation camp will feature multiple workshops focused on acting, singing, dance, painting, illustration, music production and digital media. And with the help of community mentors, artists and activists, the foundation is poised to eventually open a magnet school with an emphasis on music and the arts.
?Kile is and will always be my muse,? says Raymond of her son. ?He inspires me to do great things both artistically and in general to help others. He was a guiding genius.?
From Kile’s World Foundation press release:
Blessed with artistic gifts unexpected in one so young, by 11-years-old, Kile had acted in stage plays, wrote, produced and performed his own music. He was also a budding visual artist, throwing himself into abstract art and photography with the same zeal that defined his life.
Not only is the Kile’s World Foundation a labor of love, it fulfills a void in a nation where the outlet of artistic expression is being withheld from more children each day. In a recently released study from the U.S. Department of Education, it was revealed that the availability of theater and dance in elementary schools decreased dramatically in the last decade ? ?from 20 percent 10 years ago to only 4 and 3 percent, respectively, in the 2009-10 school year.? Not only that, the disparities in the availability of art courses in low-poverty vs. high-poverty schools illuminated the fact that affluent students are exposed to enrichment experiences that students in low-income areas are denied.
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