So, you might remember that King Street Center was the beneficiary to the 2012 Laura Kate Winterbottom Wine Tasting and Auction last spring? With the funds raised, King Street Center was able to hire Teaching Artist, Sandra Hawkes, to work with children on-site all summer long. Boy, the kids just loved Sandy. And, they loved, loved, loved creating art.

Sandy taught the kids all sorts of different techniques - a new adventure every day. But, Sandy is a teacher - so she understands the importance of building upon experiences and skills. So, while kids got to bring home their own pieces of art all summer long, they also worked on a long-term project that stayed at King Street Center - a mosaic.

King Street staff were pretty blown away by this project. Not only was it huge - and beautiful - but the kids worked quietly and patiently on it for weeks. It was almost like meditation for them. What we didn't know was that Sandy had reached out to the parents of Laura Kate Winterbottom. (For the tragic story of how the Laura Kate Winterbottom Memorial Fund came to be, read here). Sandy, knowing that her presence at King Street Center was inspired by the life of Laura Winterbottom, reached out to Laura's parents. She invited them to contribute small pieces, emblems, "tesserae" of Laura's life.

So, as you walk in to King Street Center as a child, a parent, a volunteer, a friend - look up and look closely.

See if you can find Laura's butterfly barrette, made of beads and porcupine quills. There is also her dragonfly hairpin. Both were chosen because they represent the beauty and brevity of life. Laura's button with the slogan "Extinct is Forever" succinctly captures Laura's concern for the environment. Ned and JoAnn Winterbottom were recently in Burlington for the annual Laura's March. Their visit also coincided with Laura's birthday. To honor their daughter, they decided to start their day at King Street Center to see the mosaic up in all its glory. A pretty humbling moment for all of us here. Thank you kids, thank you Sandy, and thank you to the Winterbottom family for bringing art to King Street Center.