The Empty Bowl: Pouring into Today’s Youth to Help Create a Better Tomorrow
The simple but powerful vision of Kokomo Urban Outreach is to pour into today’s youth to help create a better tomorrow. Through the Unlimited Potential Program and the seventh annual Empty Bowl fundraiser, they are doing just that.
Bowls from the 2023 Empty Bowl Fundraiser
TKP Photo | Bree Bragg
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 6:30 p.m. on March 8 at Cross America, you can join the cause to raise funds for children's mentorship programs, enjoy a bowl of soup and receive a tangible symbol of your support.
Attendees of this unique event will have the opportunity to receive a hand-painted ceramic bowl, each crafted by a child in the community.
These bowls become not just artistic expressions but tokens of hope, representing the act of pouring wisdom, guidance, hope and encouragement into the lives of the younger generation.
Sherry Rahl, executive director of Kokomo Urban Outreach, said she is excited to share what the program has accomplished in the last year and to see the support from the community.
Guests can give a free-will donation in exchange for a simple meal of soup and bread and use the painted bowl they select as a reminder of the event and what Kokomo Urban Outreach does for the community.
“You’re filling the bowl of hope for the children of the future that are going to run our businesses and that are going to be our workforce. We are building future leaders, by pouring hope into the empty bowl; look what can happen,” said Rahl.
“I just think that UP, unlimited potential, is what that bowl stands for. It may look empty but there is unlimited potential that can be filled in every youth and child,” she said.
Gabby Philapy, a student from Sts. Joan of Arc and Patrick School smiles with the bowl she painted
At 5 p.m., there will be an auction of bowls painted by celebrities in the community, including Chad McCarter from Coca-Cola, Nathan White from First City Recovery, Ivy Tech Kokomo’s Chancellor Ethan Heicher, Amanda Lewton from Sun King Kokomo, Rahl and more.
“I think every one of us is painting something unique to what we represent,” said Rahl. “I love that everyone is bringing in their piece to it.”
Each year MaryAnne Dishon, Taylor High School’s art teacher, fires the painted bowls for the fundraiser.
“She does it every year out of the kindness of her heart, and we’re so thankful,” said Rahl.
Students from local schools, including Sts. Joan of Arc and Patrick School pictured below, joined the creative process, painting close to 300 bowls for the fundraiser.
“I hope these bowls symbolize that we have to pour in or invest in the youth of our community if we want our community to continue to grow and thrive. We must nurture the youth to help them become what they want. That’s it,” said Rahl.
