|
Scotts Creek third-grader sells small sculptures for Habitat
By Stephanie Salmons
|
|
|
Spencer Stone
|
|
At the ripe old age of 9, Spencer Stone of Cullowhee is already helping other less fortunate than himself.
At Mountain Heritage Day, Stone, a third-grader at Scotts Creek Elementary, sold hand-made clay figures. The figurines went for $2 to $5 each, and Stone said he made about $75, some of which he is planning on donating to the local Habitat for Humanity.
“I’ve been doing it for about two years,” he said. “One year I got a box of Play-Doh for my birthday and I got addicted to (it). Then one year for Christmas, they got me clay.”
Stone said he was selling the clay figures at Mountain Heritage Day because his dad was there photographing the day’s events.
His dad is also the inspiration for his donation to Habitat for Humanity.
“There’s a (church) group called The Nail Benders that my dad sometimes works with,” he said. “They build things for people in need, and I liked that my dad did that, and I wanted to donate money to something similar.”
Stone said some people were surprised by the figures.
“I think they thought they were nice,” he said.
Spencer Stone, 9, a third-grader at Scotts Creek Elementary School, made about $75 selling his clay figures ant Mountain Heritage Day. He plans to donate a portion of his earnings to Habitat for Humanity.
Stone, who wants to be an artist when he grows up, said he wants to continue with his clay sculptures.
“I’m going to keep doing the Mountain Heritage Festival if my dad keeps doing the photography,” he said.
During Mountain Heritage Day, Stone sold his favorite piece to his teacher, Janice Stiens.
“It was a mama and baby black bear looking at each other,” he said. “I had the most fun making them.”
Stone said each sculpture takes a few days to a week to complete and that he spends at least an hour a day sculpting.
Stone’s mother, Suzanne, said he had a teacher who entered Spencer in the Western Carolina University youth art contest where he won a merit award that “spurred” him on.
Suzanne said she was “blown away” by people’s reactions to Spencer’s sculptures and was not expecting him to make as much as he did.
However, she was not shocked when he said he decided to donate a portion to charity.
“I wasn’t surprised because he gets an allowance, and he saves a portion of that, spends a portion and donates a portion,” she said. “We were hoping he’d do that with the money he earned.”
|
