The statues in downtown Red Deer will be decorated with mitts and tuques by youth.
Children age 10 to 14 are invited to take part in the Paint The Town Positive event hosted by SPARC (Strengthening Positive Assets & Resiliency in Communities).
Youngsters are encouraged to meet at 12:50 p.m. on Jan. 19 in the lobby of the downtown Red Deer Public Library at 4818 49th St. for the hour-long event.
Denise Fredeen, spokesperson for SPARC Red Deer, said about 50 tuques and mitts have already been collected from kids who came out to a previous Paint The Town Positive event.
She said children will attach tags to the items saying, “If you need me, please take me.”
“The idea behind Paint the Town Positive is to have kids come together to give back to our community,” Fredeen said.
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Developed two years ago, SPARC Red Deer membership includes a variety of agencies that have come together to talk about how to help kids grow up great.
Paint The Town Positive is its youth chapter, based on a similar program in Lloydminster.
Fredeen, who is a health promotion facilitator with Alberta Health Services, said the goal is to spread kindness in the community and for events to be youth driven. Youth aren’t always seen in a positive way, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by them, she said.
“We want them to have initiatives where the community can see them in a positive way, and they can brain storm and share their unique ideas with the community.”
She said after distributing the mitts and items, children will return to the library for hot chocolate and cookies, and talk about the event planned for February, which will involve sending them home with hearts with kind messages they can give out on Valentine’s Day.
“The goal is that they’re going to sprinkle kindness in their area of the city,” Fredeen said.
To register for the Jan. 19 Paint the Town Positive event, email sparc40rd@gmail.com or call 403-406-5665 by Jan 15.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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