Naperville teens Srestha Mitra, Lahari Gonuguntla, and Srishti Garg are on a mission to spread the joy of arts and crafts to everyone around them.
Last summer, the Metea Valley High School juniors started an initiative called Crafting with Community, where they travel to different organizations in and around the Naperville area, hosting free art classes.
“What we aim to do is provide seniors and youth, especially those living in lower-income communities, with a creative platform where they can de-stress and get their creativity out in any way that they’d like,” said Mitra.
Students use art to connect with the community
The three were motivated to kickstart the group because it was a unique and simple way for them to positively impact their community.
“It was such a good way for us to connect with other people, people different from us, and get to know new perspectives and help other people in a nontraditional way,” said Garg.
Last week, the girls hosted a two-hour arts-and-crafts class at Gigi’s Playhouse in Aurora, where they taught guests how to make slime.
For another session, they headed to Independence Village in Naperville, where guests created 3D flower vases on paper. At the Alive Center in Aurora, they helped guests make butterflies using seashells.
Gonuguntla said the classes stimulate the mind and offer activities to people they may not otherwise have done by themselves.
“For the elderly, I think it just provides a different activity for them to do. Wherever they may be in their retirement homes or nursing homes, crafting may not be something that’s just available to them,” she said. “And then working with other kids, I think it just gives them a designated time to be able to do something other than either their homework or just like any other leisure activity that they might just do on their own.”
Group donates art kits, self-fund sessions
The students began laying the foundation for Crafting with Community around June 2025, connecting with local groups and potential collaborators, before officially launching in August.
After the launch, they collected art supply donations from the public and donated 35 “craft kits” to Hesed House and Arbor Terrace in Naperville.
“They had various color pencils, crayons, pens, markers, and coloring sheets so people could craft in their own time as well,” said Garg.
While they work on fundraising efforts, the majority of the materials they use for other sessions are purchased with their own money, according to Mitra.
But she says it’s worth it to give people a space and resources to unleash their creativity.
“Giving back to smaller communities and my community through something that I find is meaningful to me, that essentially sums up why I really enjoy doing this,” said Mitra.
The students are now in the process of obtaining nonprofit status for Crafting with Community.
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