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Teen Volunteer Puts Art And Soul Into Work

Tribune photo by CHRISTINE DeLESSIO

Meike Groh says she wants her artwork to raise awareness of domestic violence.

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By MEGAN HUSSEY

Tribune correspondent

Published: August 31, 2008

A watercolor depicts a young child blowing a dandelion into the wind, wishing for a life free of violence.

Photographs show a woman's hands - someone needing help - and a bank of candles, representing a brighter future.

The images highlight informational posters tacked up in east Pasco County businesses by Sunrise Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center in Dade City. The posters were designed by the organization's August Volunteer of the Month, 17-year-old Meike Groh.

Christina Bates, Sunrise's social change community organizer, commissioned the posters from Meike, a senior at Zephyrhills High School.

"It's good to see someone so young with a clear understanding of what's going on in the community," Bates said. "It's so positive and empowering to see kids giving so much of their time."

Since April, Meike has led weekly art projects for children at the Sunrise shelter.

"I asked if there was anything I could do for the children," Meike said. "The art takes the children away from their situation. They love it. They go crazy."

For Meike, art is a life passion that has won her first-place honors at the county and state fairs and third place at the Strawberry Festival. She was also selected for a coveted precollege program this summer at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota.

"I've loved art all my life and got serious about it in the 10th grade," she said. "I love the freedom of art. It lets me express myself in different ways and gives me so many interesting things to do."

Volunteerism is another driving force in Meike's life. She comes from a family of volunteers; her mother, Maria, was an officer in the Daybreak Rotary Club, and brother Philipp, 15, volunteers at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.

"She was raised volunteering," Maria Groh said. "I teach them that if you do just a little bit each day, it helps."

Meike started volunteering at Sunrise after reading a story about the agency last September.

Sunrise needed someone to make posters. She agreed to help.

Westgate Printing in Zephyrhills designed the tear-off information sheets on the poster and helped with the printing costs. The Daybreak Rotary Club of Zephyrhills also donated money for the project.

Meike, like other teen volunteers, earns community service hours for school by working for Sunrise.

But Meike volunteers for another reason: She wants to raise awareness about domestic violence.

"Domestic violence is a big issue that's not talked about enough," she said. "But it's there, and by getting involved with Sunrise, I'm learning more about it."

Meike said she has a strong desire to work with children in the future, preferably through the arts.

She's already getting good results, though, helping children at the shelter express themselves. Although she encourages them to express their inner feelings through art, she has never seen sadness or anger from them.

"They're too happy being there, doing art."

For information about volunteering at Sunrise, go to www.sunrisepasco.org, or call (352) 521-3358.

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