Our Inspiration: Man Begins Arts Foundation in Memory of Daughter
By: Jessica Dean, KARK 4 News
Updated: August 31, 2012
Life is unfortunately a combination of good things and bad things. I've found I'm most in awe of the people who take the bad and do everything in their power to make it good or at least better. I've known several of these people in my life and I've watched them take the horrific, wade through it and come out on the other side. It's a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
Paul Leopoulos is one of those people. His beloved daughter, Thea, died in a car crash when she was only 17 years old. She had just begun to grow into herself and was inspired by the arts and her creative side.
"The arts expanded everything for her and she had to just taken off like a rocket, gave her confidence," her father told me.
Even in their grief, Thea's parents knew they had to find a way to honor their daughter. They decided to create the Thea Foundation with the hope the arts could do for other children what it had done for their own.
In its 11 years, the Thea Foundation has given away nearly $1.5 million in arts scholarships to nearly 170 students, filled public schools across the state with art supplies when there would otherwise be none and trained young people in everything from drawing to theater.
It's amazing to think how many lives they've touched, and how many they've changed.
Now, they're focused on bringing in the A+ Schools philosophy to all Arkansas schools. The idea is to get teachers to be imaginative in the way they teach, whether it's art or math, science or literature. They hope this creativity will inspire a generation of students to truly enjoy learning.
What a way to honor Thea. It's also a great reminder you can move forward in your life after tragedy and make your community a little better in the process. That's quite a feat, indeed.
Paul Leopoulos is one of those people. His beloved daughter, Thea, died in a car crash when she was only 17 years old. She had just begun to grow into herself and was inspired by the arts and her creative side.
"The arts expanded everything for her and she had to just taken off like a rocket, gave her confidence," her father told me.
Even in their grief, Thea's parents knew they had to find a way to honor their daughter. They decided to create the Thea Foundation with the hope the arts could do for other children what it had done for their own.
In its 11 years, the Thea Foundation has given away nearly $1.5 million in arts scholarships to nearly 170 students, filled public schools across the state with art supplies when there would otherwise be none and trained young people in everything from drawing to theater.
It's amazing to think how many lives they've touched, and how many they've changed.
Now, they're focused on bringing in the A+ Schools philosophy to all Arkansas schools. The idea is to get teachers to be imaginative in the way they teach, whether it's art or math, science or literature. They hope this creativity will inspire a generation of students to truly enjoy learning.
What a way to honor Thea. It's also a great reminder you can move forward in your life after tragedy and make your community a little better in the process. That's quite a feat, indeed.
