After Losing Daughters In Horrific Fire, Man Brings Art To Thousands Of Children
NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- Thousands of children across the country are learning through art, thanks to the efforts of one man. Matthew Badger is honoring the memory of his three daughters who were killed in a fire.
Lily, 9, and Sarah, and Grace, both 7, died in a fire at their home on Christmas nearly 3 years ago. Their father has since tried to focus on the incredible memories.
"One thing about Lily, Sarah, and Grace is that they were happy and they were joyous, and they were creative and had tremendous energy," Badger said.
All three girls had dyslexia, and while Badger says Lily struggled in school, he said that Grace flourished thanks to her kindergarten teacher Amie Schindel at PS-3 in the West Village.
"I remember Grace being a bit of spitfire and coming in with a smile and skipping in the door," Schindel said.
She was excited to learn because Schindel infused art into academics. So, in memory of his daughters Badger started the Lily Sarah Grace Fund which gives supplies to underserved public elementary schools across the country to include art in regular classes from English to Math.
To help raise money for the supplies a long list of celebrities created drawings for a book in honor of the girls.
"Jason Bateman, Jack Black, Flear from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruno Mars," Badger said.
The kids at PS-3 said they couldn't imagine learning without art.
"If you're in that kind of school that doesn't have anything like that you would just be like boring and you kind of would want to go home," Anna Keh, 5, said.
For Badger, it's all about seeing the smiles.
"It does make me feel proud of the girls and it makes me feel like they have a legacy here," he said.
that legacy is bringing joy into the classroom.
So far the fund says it has given $1-million in supplies to schools across the country, helping more than 140,000 children.
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