MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- One man's trash is another man's treasure. In some cases, trash can be the supplies at an artist's disposal, and it's a creative way to recycle.
Artwork created by children from the Child Development Centers and the Children, Youth and Teen Program from the youth pavilions aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune were put on display at the Marine Corps Exchange on base for the month of April.
There were more than 40 pieces of art displayed at the exchange in support of Earth Day. All the trash used in the artwork was clean and safe for the kids to handle.
"This was a fantastic approach on getting the children involved in keeping the Earth cleaner," said Patrick Larkin, youth activities director with the Children Youth and Teen Program, Marine Corps Community Services.
Ralph Lewter, a retail advertising supervisor with MCX, said it was a chance for the children to show everyone what "being green" meant to them by expressing it in their art.
The children had fun painting, drawing and making small models, which would be art for everyone to see and enjoy.
"It's events like this that allow us to connect with the children," said Lewter. "It's a great thing to see parents walk by and say, ‘Hey that's my child's artwork.'"
A lot of effort was put into the masterpieces the children created. At first, MCCS's event planners thought of awarding first, second and third place prizes to the children with best display. Event planners decided to go to the classes and present plaques and have ice cream for all of the kids because they felt all of them should be recognized for their work.
"This is a great event because it brings the children, parents and the programs that support them together," said Lewter. "It's one way for our programs to really connect with the community. The event was great, and we plan on doing things like this for years to come."