Naomi Martin invites her guests to be the hands and feet of Christ.
HAMILTON, ON: When Naomi Martin was 3, she declared, "Mommy, I'm going to have a colouring recital." Her mother, Sarah Martin, asked her what a colouring recital was, Naomi's response was simple, "a colouring recital is where everyone can come and see how good I can colour." Her mother dismissed the idea as cute, but over the next several months, Naomi and her 5-year-old sister, Abigail had it all figured out.
Here was their plan: The sisters asked their parents to rent a theatre to fit all the people who will come and colour with them. When Sarah mentioned that they can't afford to rent a theatre, Naomi persisted, and said, "if people would pay to come see me colour, then we could give the money to kids in Africa that don't have parents, to help take care of them!" Initially, her parents didn't take it seriously, but when Naomi shared that the recital would be a way to help other children, they decided to do it.
That is how “Naomi's Colouring Recital” took root. Naomi is now 10 years-old, and on March 29th, at the Hamilton Association for Residential Recreational Redevelopment Programs in Hamilton, they held their 6th Annual colouring event. The recital is a fun event where tables are set up as art centre, and children, their parents and grandparents joined together to colour, draw, make collages, sculpt, and other various arts and crafts.
An incredible $2,600 was raised in support of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) projects that support children orphaned by AIDS in Africa. Clarke Fretz, MCC's Niagara Regional Rep attended the event, and was impressed by the response of the community, “Naomi's passion for colouring reminds us of the beauty in our world; the simplicity of enjoying beautiful colours, of celebrating our talents as gifts from God, and inviting others to come share in the wonder of being a child of God!"
Thank you Naomi for inviting more people to be the hands and feet of Christ – your actions will inspire many!
You can donate in support of Naomi's Colouring Recital at donate.mcc.org/registry/naomis-colouring-recital.
Story by Greg Yantzi/MCC Ontario