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8A | SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS
Progress 2020:
Our Community
RESS PR
Finding purpose for a
Presidential Scholarship
“I
have a disability and I’m not
ashamed of it,” Siuslaw High School
junior Cameron Kentta wrote. “I may have
my bad days
By Jared Anderson
and
wish
Siuslaw News
that I was
never born
with this, but at the end of the day, I know
I may not be able to cure it, but I can battle
it. Whatever boundaries I have, all I need
is just that small nudge in life and I will be
able to push through it in no time.”
It’s the nudge that Cameron’s mother,
Kim Erickson, is looking to give a high
school senior next year with the Rota-
ry Club of Florence Presidential Award,
which this year is dedicated for students
who experience disability.
“I feel like when you pick your own
scholarship, it should be something that
you’re very passionate about and have a
lot of interest in,” said Erickson, who is the
Rotary president for 2020-21.
Every year, the president is allowed to
pick the theme for the scholarship.
“I chose something that’s very import-
ant to me and not noticed enough with
students,” Erickson said. “For many peo-
ple that are not aware, my daughter was
diagnosed with autism when she was three
years old.”
After Cameron was enrolled in school,
that determination was reassessed and she
was re-diagnosed with severe anxiety.
“Every year we meet and do an individ-
ual educational plan (IEP) for her to get
her help in school that she needs, because
things are definitely a challenge for her,”
Erickson said. “I feel that there’s a lot of
other students that go through the same
thing.”
From social stigma to difficulties with
homework, getting the GPA required for
many scholarships can be difficult to meet
for student, many of
whom simply give
up on the schol-
arship process.
“It’s not be-
cause they’re not
trying just as hard
as every other stu-
dent,” Erickson said.
“Sometimes, they try even harder, and
constantly feel like they’re failing on many
occasions. I feel like they should have the
same opportunities that every other stu-
dent has, and go to college with confi-
dence that that hard work they put in is
just as important as every other student.”
Erickson, who has been working with
Siuslaw School District’s Special Programs
Director Lisa Utz on the scholarship, said
that people should take the time to look at
each student equally.
“They might be different, but they can
still achieve everything that any other stu-
dent can. They just might do it a different
way and process things differently,” she
said.
It’s a sentiment Cameron echoed.
“I want all the people who have a disabil-
ity to know, you’re not alone,” she wrote. “I
have a disability and even though it may
be different from what you have, I know
what it is like and how it feels. You don’t
have to go through that path by yourself.”
Anyone, including non-Rotarians, can
donate to the scholarship fund. To con-
tribute, contact Kim Erickson at kim.er-
ickson@opbc.com or send donations to
Rotary Club of Florence, P.O. Box 294,
Florence, OR 97439.
For more information about Rotary
Club of Florence and its work in the com-
munity, attend the weekly Zoom meetings
at noon on Tuesday and visit www.the
florencerotary.org.
‘Getting people in touch
with their creative side’
By Jared Anderson
Siuslaw News
G
rade school was the
last time this custom-
er had made art, but then
the pandemic hit.
“He got his hours re-
duced at work and needed
something to do to work
through his emotions
about being unemployed
and feeling not valued,”
BeauxArts owner Jo Beau-
dreau recalled about a cus-
tomer who walked into her
store earlier in the year. “He
saw something that some-
body had done, and he was
inspired by it. So I talked
to him about the products,
the process and the best
practices to do that.”
Beaudreau coached him
through the process of the
art, helping him pick the
right materials from her
shop, BeauxArts Fine Art
Materials & Gallery, 2285
Highway 101 Suite H in
Florence.
“He went on an exper-
imental journey and he
shared that with me,” Beau-
dreau said. “It was really
cool to see him start, from
‘I don’t know what I’m do-
ing,’ to ‘This happened,
how do I do that’ and final-
ly ‘I want to try that again.’”
It’s an experience that
Beaudreau has seen occur
countless times in her store
during the pandemic.
“There’s been a lot of
people who’ve gotten in
touch with their creative
side,” she said. “They’ve
taken this time to hone
their skills, or revisit skills
they had neglected for
some time. They started
doing what they enjoyed.”
Since 2013, BeauxArts
has used the sales pitch
“quality materials at a dis-
count price” to describe
its business. But the true
strength of the business lies
in connecting with and in-
spiring people.
“I’m continually inspired
by them, which inspires me
to inspire other people. It’s
just a loop around of awe-
someness in town,” Beau-
dreau said.
Sometimes the artists are
looking to become profes-
sionals.
“There was one woman
who came into the shop
and really wanted to get
into working with oils,”
Beaudreau said. “She came
in, we talked about it, and
I set her up with a really
good deal with oil paints.
She got really excited about
it, bought a giant canvas,
and came back a day later
with a finished photo of her
work, and it was incredible.
She just ran with it.”
So much so that now that
artist is selling her work
throughout the world.
Others customers simply
focus on the more personal
aspects of art.
“You don’t have to share
it. People forget that. They
think, ‘I have to sell this
painting,’ but you don’t. I
talk to a lot of artists that
don’t want to sell their
work,” Beaudreau said.
Sometimes they hide it
from everyone.
“There’s one who won
my heart,” Beaudreau said.
“He was reclusive, coming
in every once in a while
and then disappearing. Fi-
nally, I asked him, ‘What
are you doing with this
stuff?’ He said he was do-
ing oil painting. I asked to
see his work, he said no.
‘That’s okay, whenever you
feel like you want to share,
please feel free.’ He left and
came back with a couple of
his paintings and he blew
my mind.”
They talked about his
process, and why he loved
art.
“It made him really feel
special, and at that point he
wanted to share some of his
work,” she said. “He never
expected someone to like
his art.”
For Beaudreau, the ben-
efits of art can be substan-
tial, particularly during
times of stress.
“By just drawing or scrib-
bling, you’re focusing your
attention on something
else, getting your mind out
of the physical, emotional,
mental troubles you’re hav-
ing. You can direct positive
energy toward something
productive and not getting
in a rut.”
But the first step is to try
it.
“It’s important to rec-
ognize all the different
types of arts — from culi-
nary, performance, music.
There’s different types of
facets,” Beaudreau said.
“Whatever your passion is,
you need to follow it.”
For more information,
stop by BeauxArts Fine Art
Materials & Gallery, vis-
it www.beauxartsfineart.
com for updated hours or
go to www.facebook.com/
BeauxArtsFineArtMateri-
als.
Beaudreau also offers
artist support through the
online community Beaux-
Arts Atelier of Siuslaw.
Contact her for more infor-
mation.
Invest in Siuslaw. Invest in Progress.
Want to be part of this community’s progress? Contact
your Siuslaw News marketing representative today at
541-997-3521 and TheSiuslawNews.com.
Club of Florence, Oregon
COVID-19
DID NOT STOP
ROTARY
AS PEOPLE OF ACTION WE STILL . . . .
Fought Wildfires with
Fought Polio
District 5110
Fire Relief Fund
Supported Peace Harbor COVID-19
Emergency Response Fund
Installed New Club President
Supported Siuslaw &
Mapleton School Districts
Held a Successful Fund-
Raising Golf Tournament
Meg
Spencer
2019-20
Kim
Erickson
2020-21
Assisted LDS Church
Unload 40,600 lbs. Food
at Mapleton & Florence
Food Shares
&
e
t
a
e
r
!
C
e
t
a
r
b
e
l
e
C
BeauxArts is proud to provide quality art
materials to our community.
Come in and be inspired!
BeauxArts
Fine Art Materials
Create - Get & Give!
– Gift Certificates –
541.991.8213
– Call for hours or swing by –
Appointments Available
2285 Highway 101, Suite H (Coastal Fitness Plaza)
Facebook & Instagram — @BeauxArtsFineArtMaterials
Empowering Your Creativity
