Emma-Rose makes a change with paintings about animals for Mandela Month
In the spirit of Mandela Day, seven-year-old Emma-Rose Stücke has decided that she was going to sell her paintings and drawings and donate 50 per cent of her profit to animal shelters.
Mandela Day is observed each year on July 18, but extends to every other day of the year, to take initiative in making the world a better place.
It celebrates the idea that anyone has the power to make an impact, no matter what their age is.
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Seven-year-old Emma-Rose Stücke exemplified this when she decided she was going to sell her paintings and drawings and donate 50 per cent of her profit to animal shelters.
The Crawford Italia Grade One learner said she was passionate about art and animals and that this would be an ongoing project and not just something for Mandela Day.
“I enjoy drawing and painting because it allows me to express myself. I specifically like drawing animals because they are cute and sometimes scary, but I love them and when I grow up I want to do everything for animals,” said Emma.
Emma’s mother, Simone, said: “The idea came to her after we watched a documentary on television about a couple who rescued homeless dogs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Emma looked at her father and me and said she would like to do that one day.”
They then decided to make a difference much sooner instead of waiting for that one day.
Simone approached Bedfordview and Germiston SPCA manager Jeremy Jeffrey and shared Emma’s idea with him.
“When Simone told me, I thought it was a brilliant idea. On behalf of all the staff, I would like to thank Emma-Rose.
“She is very talented and we would like to see her flourish. We wish that this becomes the beginning of a long and beautiful partnership,” said Jeremy.
The animal lover has a two-year-old dog called Buster and said she wanted all animals to be well taken care of just like her dog.
Last year on Mandela Day, Emma-Rose saved up money and bought dog food and donated it to an animal shelter and next year she would like to help the rhinos.
Simone said since she posted some of her daughter’s paintings on Facebook, the feedback has been overwhelming.
“We received positive feedback online. Emma got a lot of orders from people who would love to have her paintings, and some suggestions were that Emma should make greeting cards, mugs, and T-shirts,” said Emma.
Emma said on average it usually takes her two hours to complete one painting and that all her paintings were her favourites.
So far she has managed to complete seven beautiful masterpieces over the school holidays and some of her paintings were sold to immediate family members and friends.
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