LITTLE ROCK — Eggs covered in coins. Eggs with painted flowers. Eggs that look like popsicles. Beautiful or whimsical, at Eggshibition, an egg is never just an egg.
Eggshibition is an evening of music, art, food and fundraising for Youth Home, the psychiatric treatment facility for adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems.
This year’s theme is Eggstreme Makeover: Youth Home Edition. Lauren Landers, co-chairman with Jeff and Deanna Hildebrand, explains that the theme doesn’t mean they’re trying to raise money to renovate the facilities.
“It is the mission of Youth Home everyday to ‘makeover’ the lives of the adolescents and families we serve and to help them build brighter, more productive futures.”
The focus of the event is, of course, the eggs — plaster, egg-shaped creations that are made by Hank Kaminsky, then passed on to local artists who decorate them in any way they see fit. Many of the artists have been participating for years, and there are some attendees who come year after year to collect a particular artist’s work.
“Unique egg art is what we call it,” Landers says.
Some of the eggs are “celebrity eggs,” signed by wellknown personalities — this year they are Bobby Petrino, Cliff Lee, Mike Anderson, Joe Adams, Glen Campbell and Matthew McConaughey — before the artists put their stamps on them.
The average egg ends up going for $150-$175 in the auction and the lucky winner of the golden egg raffle will get to select the egg of his choice.
But lest you think it’s all about the eggs, there is quite a bit more to Eggshibition.
The live and silent auctions include non-egg art, trips, parties and gift baskets and even a puppy.
“It’s not just a bunch of eggs sitting out,” Landers says. “I don’t think very many people would come for that.”
Landers explains that even though they’ve worked hard to keep the ticket prices at $50 for the last few years, they’re still always trying to mix things up.
“Every year we get new [chairmen] and fresh blood comes up with new ideas and just have fun with it.”
This year’s new additions include a disc jockey and a photo booth.
A $75 patron ticket gives you access to another new feature this year: the extended VIP reception hour for artists, patrons and sponsors.
“It’s kind of a mingle-type setting to look at the artwork and see what’s out there,” Landers says. “You get to get in before it gets crowded and look at everything there is to bid on.”
“We like to say we’re one of the most affordable events in Little Rock,” Youth Home’s development director, Chrissy Chatham, says. “For two people to go and be able to have an evening of fun for $150 as patrons? You get four hours of fun, food, open bar.”
Youth Home provides residential and outpatient treatment and schooling for emotionally and behaviorally disturbed adolescents, counseling for people of all ages and in-school therapy at local elementary schools.
“The majority [of patients] are from not the best families. They’ve been sexually abused, they’ve been physically abused, sometimes both,” Chatham says.
It’s not just about therapy sessions and clinical treatment. They try to give the children special experiences.
“That’s one of the great things we do here at Youth Home,” Chatham explains. “We try to find the best way to get the best results for each child on an individual basis.”
One particular story sticks with Landers.
“Chrissy told me about one of the kids. She was 14 years old. This was her first Christmas that she got to experience.”
“First time she’d ever put up and decorated a tree,” Chatham says.
Recently, on Valentine’s Day, the staff arranged a sitdown dinner party for the kids, where they ordered off menus.
“So many of the kids who come here have never gotten to go to a restaurant and order off a menu,” Landers says.
The money raised at Eggshibition is vital for Youth Home and for its programs to continue.
While the services are primarily funded through Medicaid, Chatham points out that the per diem has not increased since 2001. That means that the program runs $50 per day per child short, a gap of approximately $1.2 million.
There are so many things, large and small, that require money and donations.
Each resident receives a hygiene box and a pillow when they first arrive. At 1,500 children per year, that adds up.
Also, family therapy is a major part of the program, but since Youth Home serves the entire state, this can be a big financial burden on families who may have to drive in from as far away as Bentonville.
“We have a small budget to help with gas for those families but it’s not enough, ever,” Chatham says. “With gas prices going up, it’s such a key part of the treatment we offer.”
Youth Home’s cause, Landers says, is one that affects everyone.
“Each of us knows someone, whether it’s a family or a friend, someone you know who has a child that has emotional or behavioral issues that needs help.”
Chatham agrees.
“Those are people who are going to grow up to be adults and if we don’t give them the tools now to be successful in our community and our society, they’re going to go the wrong way and they’ll end up being a burden on our society. So, it’s in everybody’s best interest.”
But as prevalent as mental illness is, it’s something that gets very little attention and that neglect, Chatham says, causes even more damage.
“It’s a Catch-22. We don’t talk about it because there’s a stigma. There’s a stigma because we don’t talk about it.”
Youth Home is combating that silence by visiting area schools, getting high school students involved in the Eggshibition egg project.
“We try to get into the classrooms and tell them about Youth Home and what we do,” Chatham says. “They want to let the students know they’re helping their peers by decorating [eggs].”
And this year, they’ve been visiting some elementary schools and introducing a papier mache egg project. The papier mache eggs will likely be on display at Eggshibition.
The egg theme isn’t a random one, Landers says.
“The idea behind the eggs was that they’re trying to make these children complete, whole individuals. The egg is a representation of that. The shell is fragile and can be easily broken, but if you take care of it and nurture it, it can grow into a new life.”
Eggshibition XXI is at 7 p.m. March 30 at the Jack Stephens Center, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University Ave. Tickets are $50, $75 for patrons. Call (501) 821-7054 or visit youthhome.org.
High Profile, Pages 33 on 03/18/2012