Children came in large groups to the star paint, creating beautiful designs and writing inspirational messages. Patricia Adams/The Forum Newsgroup
The stars were out in Howard Beach on Tuesday evening; not the stars expected in a nighttime sky—these were wooden stars—the ones so many wondered about as they began to appear throughout the community shortly after Superstorm Sandy stopped by.
More than 500 stars were ainted at the Howard Beach Assembly of God on Tuesday afternoon. They will be hung in towns devastated by Hurricane Sandy along the Jersey Shore.
Howard Beach resident Janine Pizzariella is responsible for bringing the stars to Howard Beach. She first saw them on a visit to Rockaway right after the storm. “I saw these stars hanging on the few things still left standing,” Pizzariella said. “As soon as I saw them I knew we had to bring them to Howard Beach.” Armed with little knowledge and lots of determination, she sat down at the computer, discovered the origin of the stars and contacted Stars of HOPE, the organization responsible for their production.
After speaking with them, it was agreed that they would come to Howard Beach on January 18 and do a star paint with students at the reopening of MS 207, which had been closed down due to devastation by the storm.
Students there engaged in a day-long paint that produced hundreds of stars which were subsequently hung on trees, poles and fences throughout Old Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach and Rockwood Park. Stars that read “Hope,” “Faith,” “Courage,” and “Strength” and delivered so many other inspirational messages to the community.
The organization that began the community project events is known as Stars of Hope, a pay it forward, non-profit whose mission statement defines them as “one that empowers children to transform communities impacted by disaster through inspiring and colorful art. Stars of HOPE also transforms the way we express our compassion and connectivity following disasters at a national – and global – scale.”
More than 500 stars were painted at the Howard Beach Assembly of God on Tuesday afternoon. They will be hung in towns devastated by Hurricane Sandy along the Jersey Shore.
Stars of HOPE is a unique disaster relief/community art project launched in communities devastated by natural disasters like tornadoes, wildfires, hurricanes, and floods as well as man-made disasters such as mass-shootings and industrial accidents. Children are asked to paint hopeful messages, inspirational words, and colorful designs on one-foot wooden stars as part of their personal, and their community’s collective, healing process.
The organization was started to help the children of Greenburg Kansas in 2007 to bring hope and color back to their tornado-ravaged community, Stars of HOPE is operated as a joint project of New York Says Thank You Foundation and Groesbeck Rebuilds America.
In their second visit to Howard Beach, 26 volunteers from 8 states arrived on Tuesday where they supervised a community paint at the Howard Beach Assembly of God Church as a follow-up to Pizzariella’s event in January. “It’s a great feeling to see this happening,” said Pizzariella. “All these stars will go to the Jersey shore and we will have been able to take part in paying it forward after we received so much help here from these people.”
Among the volunteers were Melodee Colbert-Kean and her 7-year-old daughter Alissa. Colbert-Kean is the mayor of the city of Joplin Missouri which lost 161 lives, 8 thousand homes, 500 businesses and 14 schools in a tornado in 2011. “We learn a lesson from these events in life,” the mayor said. “And that is that devastation does not stop determination.” Colbert-Kean says that even though her daughter is losing some time from conventional school by making this trip, the lessons she is learning are far more valuable than anything she could learn elsewhere. “Teaching children how to give back is unspeakably important. They have to learn about community and how to help.”
Determination is what the mayor of Joplin says pulled her town back together after two thirds of it was destroyed in a 2011 tornado.
And after a three-hour paint event which drew hundreds of community residents and their children, more than 500 stars were painted and prepared for their next stop along the Jersey shore. Those who turned out were brimming with excitement and thankful for the opportunity to give back. “I remember first seeing these around town and thinking how nice it made you feel,” said Robin Triano, a member of the HB Assembly of God. “It’s nice to be able to give it back.” The volunteers planned to visit a number of towns, leaving behind stars of inspiration created in Howard Beach. There they will also host two paint events and prepare the stars painted there to be brought on their next rip out to Moore, Oklahoma.
If you would like to learn more about Stars of Hope, you can visit their website at http://starsofhopeusa.org/
By Patricia Adams
