The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Camp connects students to the arts
An arts camp at General Johnnie Wilson Middle School resulted from friends who grew up in Lorain and wanted to give back to their hometown.
Founded by Pamela Sutton, 38, of Atlanta, Camp Helen enlists successful professionals who teach arts classes in their fields of expertise.
“We are super excited,” Sutton said. “This is our third year.”
The camp is named after Helen Sutton, who is Sutton’s grandmother.
“She took care of the kids,” Sutton said. “She was a cook. She gave meals to all the kids. And she drew, painted, crocheted.
“She sewed like crazy. She could sew up an outfit in one day. All of my family are artists.”
This year, Camp Helen included classes from a chef, theater, art, fashion including an international model, and dance, Sutton said, adding every student tries all of the classes.
“We brought in people from all over the country,” she said. “They’re specialists in their area.”
Lorain visual artist Tony Trunzo offered art materials and encouraged students to create masks.
“It really is something how (Sutton) has brought all these talents together,” Trunzo said. “It’s an eclectic group. Her goal is to not have classrooms next year and to take Camp Helen on the road and expose these kids to the arts. She came from here.”
A basic theme this year intertwined confidence, image and self esteem, Sutton said.
“We really wanted to speak of suicide without talking about it,” she said. “Wendy Hall in the acting class is helping them see how to deal with their problems.”
Hall has taught theater at Lorain City Schools for about 17 years.
“Our focus through theater class is the power of words,” Hall said. “And who responds to a plea for help.”
Adults do, police officers, teachers, counselors, parents, she said, even youth.
“Everybody has a responsibility to help,” Hall said. “They have a responsibility to help. We have a one and a half hour session. That’s how long I have to work with each group.
“People don’t understand how powerful children are, and how strong they can become very quickly, and how important it is to enable them to become helpers so they take that power, that ownership, back.”
Susan Santos, 40, grew up in Lorain.
Santos said her family members still live in South Lorain.
“I fly here every other weekend,” Santos said. “I work for Delta in aviation maintenance. I fixed planes for seven years.
“Now, I do reliability for them. At the camp, I was a group leader in all of the classes.”
Jennifer Sutton, of Atlanta, Pamela Sutton’s sister, taught the fashion class.
“I have a fashion production company in Atlanta, Art Meso,” Jennifer Sutton said. “Meso means middle. It’s a combination of all the arts coming together.
“Tony Trunzo will be coming to Atlanta and partnering with Make-AWish Foundation. It’s an international art and fashion exhibition and it benefits Make-A-Wish.”
Art Meso brings together different creative expressions: fashion, art, technology, anything creative, Jennifer Sutton said.
“The big piece is the international designers,” she said. “They’re coming from Spain and Argentina and they have never shown in the United States before. We also feature different artists. Tony (Trunzo) is doing live art.
“We’ve all built great relationships outside Camp Helen. We have become basically family.”
Also, Jennifer Sutton said she’s thinking about bringing Art Meso to Lorain if she can find a venue.
Aneesa Daniels, 37, from Atlanta, is an international model who taught a fashion class at Camp Helen.
“I’ve walked in one of (Jennifer Sutton’s Art Meso) shows, which I love,” Daniels said. “It is so amazing. It is very innovative.”
Daniels said she volunteered at Camp Helen because she loves to serve.
“I have a company, Seven Development,” she said. “We use fashion to teach youth how to walk to build confidence. We give them consultations, and we ask them why they want to be a model. We work with their image, and we help them with a portfolio.
“Right now, I’m thinking about expanding to younger kids. It’s so important. They do what they see. I think it’s very important to be a leader, to speak life into children. They may not be getting affirmation at home.”
Daniels said she began modeling at age 22 by accident.
“I went to an event. A photographer discovered me,” she said, adding he shared her photographs which resulted in her working for a modeling agency from South Africa.
Now, she said she is signed with Click Model Management in Atlanta.
Lorain natives Andrea West, 33, of Columbus, and Pedro Velazquez, 38,
of Houston, taught dance at Camp Helen.
“I’m a travel nurse,” West said. “I travel across the country. It’s really cool. You pick up contracts wherever you’re needed.”
This is the third year West and Velazquez volunteered at camp.
“What I enjoy about Camp Helen, is they come in really shy, and they just kind of blossom,” West said. “At first they’re reserved. Then you can see them embracing new things and trying new things.”
A challenge is coaxing them to come out of their shell, she said.
“One of our rules is everybody has to try,” West said. “Once they come out of their shell, they realize everybody doesn’t have to do it the same.”
“I’m more freestyle,” said Velazquez, a licensed massage therapist and yoga instructor. “She’s more technical.”
After cheerleading at Lorain Middle School and Admiral King High School, West said she performed with a hip-hop dance team at the University of Toledo.
A total of 57 students participated in Camp Helen, Sutton said, and the breakfasts and lunches were donated by community members.
Lamarea Roldan, 10, a fifth-grade student, and Nyasia Green, 11, a sixthgrade student, said camp is fun.
“I learned I can be myself around anybody,” Lamarea said.
Free to students, Camp Helen focused on relationships while opening pathways of creativity.
“I’m Pam’s oldest, longest friend,” Velazquez said. “We met in Palm School. We went to Lincoln, Whittier, and then we graduated from Southview. I love this camp. It’s good to give back.”
“People don’t understand how powerful children are, and how strong they can become very quickly, and how important it is to enable them to become helpers so they take that power, that ownership, back.”
— Wendy Hall, a theater teacher at Lorain City Schools