Forever Home Newsletter #3
KidsArts Forever Home Newsletter
An At-Most-Monthly Publication: March Edition
March 2026
Donor Spotlight: David & Ferit
For this month’s newsletter we’re featuring KidsArts donors Ferit A. and David T., longtime JP residents and the parents of two children, ages 11 and 7, who attend a BPS school and love going to KidsArts afterward. “Like all new parents, we had a steep learning curve when we first became dads, but very early on we realized how critical it was to find trusted help in the community, especially because we don’t have other family in the area,” says Ferit [pronounced Feh-REET]. “It became particularly important to identify after school school programs that our kids would love to go to every day and which would genuinely see them and appreciate them for who they are. KidsArts embraces kids of all personalities and neurotypes in a beautiful way.”
The couple, who work in software engineering and the medical field, also wanted to ensure that their children had positive experiences using artistic tools for self-expression. “I never had much of an opportunity to explore art as a kid, especially not in a way where the creative process was more important than a particular result,” says David. “It’s exciting to see our kids get that experience. I’m a little jealous!”
When Ferit learned that KidsArts was working with the former Hollow Reed School to acquire the latter's properties on Sedgwick Street, he immediately realized the benefit to the community and to the program. “Teachers wouldn’t have to pack up their supplies and art every night and lug it into the church basement. They could develop real studio space in which to create, and gallery space to show off that work. That would be so amazing!” David adds, “This seemed like a rare opportunity that might never come up again. We started thinking about how we could do our part to make sure the opportunity wasn’t lost.”
The couple was not new to charitable giving, having donated regularly to their children’s school, The Boston Foundation, the United Way, and other organizations over the years. After learning more about KidsArts’ plans and going on a tour of the building and playground, they began thinking of making a significant donation. As Ferit explains it, “We’ve known Ray-ray and both organizations for many years, and it became clear to us that they had done their homework and had a solid plan So it was never a question of whether we would give, but how much we thought we could swing.” In the end, they became the largest individual donor of the capital campaign so far.
“So much in our community is under attack right now” David says. “Finding ways to build up strong community-based institutions feels especially urgent.”
Meet Our Fundraising Team
From left to right: Talia Rodriguez, Everett Hoffman, Kelly Gaule, Jon McLaughlin (with Noodle), Mike Gusefski, Ray-ray Farrales, Stefanie Shull, Danielle Friend, and Eli Center (not pictured: Gigi Kellett)
Our fundraising team is comprised of community volunteers alongside Executive Director Ray-ray Farrales, staff member Talia Rodriguez, and consultant Kelly Gaule. This group started over a year ago and has more than doubled in size since then - the energy is infectious, everyone wants to help build KA’s Forever Home.
We’d love to welcome more volunteer support - especially with communications and public outreach. Get in touch!
Upcoming Events:
KIDS ARTS FUNDRAISER: SEMINAR SERIES BY MONICA GALLEGO-RUDE
100% of (tax deductible!) proceeds will go to KidsArts’ Forever Home!
THURSDAY MARCH 19: No Formula, No Fluff What Teenagers Need to Know about Writing Great College Essays @ The Village Works (769 Centre St) @ 7:00pm
Why am I receiving this email?
Your child attended KidsArts at some point, or you came to one of our events, or you live in Sumner Hill, or you donated to KidsArts in the past, or we met you while doing outreach in the community – however you’re connected to us, we thought you might be interested in keeping up with what’s happening with our effort to acquire, renovate, and move our program into the old Hollow Reed property on Sedgwick Street. If you’d like to opt out of future newsletters, click below.