The whole nation, it seems, has been in mourning these past few weeks due to gun violence. Here in our own community of the Rockaways, the heartbreak has been intensely personal, as we have lost two 15-year-old boys, Trevor Rhudd and Youssef Soliman, in the past two months to senseless gun violence.

At The Child Center of NY, we are constantly inspired by the creativity of the children in the communities we serve. That’s why we decided to mark the agency’s 65th anniversary year with a campaign to celebrate the artwork of students in our youth development and early childhood education programs.

Ten years ago, Jennifer Milacci, then expecting her second child, was looking for volunteer opportunities...