Creating a special kind of family portrait

Central Valley — To many, the words “family portrait” bring to mind a carefully posed shot of relatives dressed in their best, but the family portraits being prepared by children in Orange County RAPP (Relatives as Parents Program) are meant to be more 3-dimensional than that, in every sense of the term. RAPP is a part of the Cornell Cooperative Extension and all the children participating in its Family Portraits project in Orange County are being raised by relatives, often grandparents, because the parents are unable to fulfill that obligation. As part of the RAPP activities, once a month, in New Windsor, Central Valley and Middletown, kinship caregivers can participate in support groups, to share feelings, challenges and information. Meanwhile, in a nearby room, the children they’re raising can attend a 4-H meeting. Getting to know each other has special meaning for that group of kids. Brenda Reynolds, Orange County RAPP coordinator, guides the adults’ support groups. She said, “Often, children being raised by grandma and grandpa feel out of place, different. At RAPP meetings, they find a sense of belonging and camaraderie, because all the children are facing that same situation.” During the six weeks or so of the Family Portrait project, guided by RAPP youth coordinator Linda Coleman and art therapist Emi DiSciullo, the children respond to such prompts as “what makes me unique in my family is…” and “The best and worst thing about being my age is …” with paintings, drawings and collages. They go home to ask about family lore and to choose photos that illustrate it. The histories, emotions and enjoyments the children are collecting could fill a book. In fact, that’s the plan. Eight-year-old Natalie of Monroe has been adopted by her aunt, who retired as a lieutenant in the New York City police force several years after bringing an infant Natalie into her home and life. Natalie has created collages and paintings for her book that illustrate her love of art and of animals. One of the photos she plans to include in her finished book commemorates a trip the two paid to the old precinct several years ago. A happy four-year-old Natalie sports a police hat at a rakish angle. For more information on RAPP call Brenda Reynolds at 344-1234.