Here a pig, there a pig: Pigs 4 Kids raises money for NA-FC schools

SO YOU KNOW

• To sign up for a pig, visit the NA-FC Education Foundation’s website at nafcedfoundation.org

Discussion

August 12, 2012

Here a pig, there a pig: Pigs 4 Kids raises money for NA-FC schools

By JEROD CLAPP jerod.clapp@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Sun Aug 12, 2012, 06:27 PM EDT

NEW ALBANY — To help raise money for schools, the New Albany-Floyd County Education Foundation will enlist a few pigs, as well as people to paint them.

The foundation and Earth & Fire Pottery is looking for local artists, students and others to paint piggy banks for businesses to display in New Albany with its inaugural year for Pigs 4 Kids.

Tyler Bliss, executive director for the foundation, said about 10 of the 30 pigs are taken, but more local artists, students and others are welcome to show their creativity for a cause.

“We just want to encourage local artists to come out and for people to be as creative as possible,” Bliss said. “We want them to have lots of personality and make them more unique. I think it will be a really successful project if we have some buy-in from our community members.”

The money deposited in the pigs will go to the foundation, but Bliss said the pigs will also get auctioned off at the foundation’s Education Celebration on March 8.

Bliss said some of the pigs are getting designed by students, with Grant Line Elementary sponsoring a pig as a school and a class at Mt. Tabor Elementary painting another.

He said though there’s no deadline to sign up for a pig, Bliss said the deadline to have the pigs painted is Oct. 15.

Kelly Conrad, owner of Earth & Fire, said the sponsors of some pigs — students, local artists and classrooms — have already gotten creative with their themes. She said with the pigs’ placement in local businesses, she hopes they get the same kind of recognition another art project featuring animals got a few years ago.

“I think we’ve seen the success that the Gallopalooza horses for [The Kentucky] Derby and I kind of liken it to that,” Conrad said. “I think our community will recognize and connect with that on a smaller scale with a traditional pig. I’m excited to see what the artists come up with.”

Bliss said he hopes people will also use social networks to give more attention to the pigs when they visit businesses that showcase them.

“We’re hoping to really use some of our vendors who display the pigs as a check-in point,” Bliss said. “They can check in on their smartphone, post it on Facebook and spread the awareness of the program.”

Bliss said a decision hasn’t been reached on how the foundation will use the money raised by Pigs 4 Kids, but he said it will go back to the schools in one way or another.

“At this point, since its our first year, anything we raise is going to help the needs of our children in our schools,” Bliss said.