The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival is a very popular, and still growing, event in the southeast U.S. At the 2002, 2003, and 2005 festivals Ashley Spears was the featured artist in the Children's Area, drawing charcoal portraits for free. When Hurricane Katrina came through in 2005, the people of the Gulf Coast were still being affected by the damage left by Ivan. Ashley and her family were in one of the worst areas of Ivan and felt incredibly sad for the other people who had gone through the same thing, and who had lost more than they had.When the GGAF came around that year, they had the idea of taking donations to buy art supplies for the Waveland schools. (Waveland, Mississippi was adopted by their hometown of Milton, Florida). The idea was backed readily by the art festival and by the Santa Rosa Art Association, of which Ashley is a member. The SRAA gave her a $100 grant for supplies. Ashley raised quite a bit of money at the three day festival and continued to raise money into 2006. She has now collected well over $1000 and has purchased the requested art supplies and delivered them to Hancock High School in mid-July. A big thank you goes out to all the sponsors who donated to this fund, which will be continued each year and given to a different school that is affected by the hurricanes of the gulf. Sponsors for the 2006 scholarship are listed below.
Anonymous donors at the GGAF
Sue Lundin
Wastle and Lillian Spears
Margaret Loren
Wade Office Equipment
Marriane Beckman
Chumuckla Elementary Parents
Trent's Prints
Cheap Joe's Art Stuff
Mildred Salter