FAYETTEVILLE - Kelly Zega is really excited to create … something.

Zega’s not entirely certain what her contribution to Starry, Starry Night … Almost Van Gogh will be, but she knows it will incorporate photography, and it will have a Fayetteville theme. The great thing about an event like Starry, Starry Night, she says, is that it’s an event that allows for a wide range of creativity - just like one of the programs it supports.

All funds from Starry, Starry Night benefit Youth Bridge Inc., which providesa wide range of services to teenagers throughout Northwest Arkansas. One of Youth Bridge’s programs is art therapy, which provides an emotional and creative outlet for the children who take part in it.

“I’m such a believer in using art in any form or fashion, whether it’s performing arts or visual arts, to help people cope with whatever they’re coping with. Maybe you’re expressing joy or working through things causing you pain in your life,” says Zega of Fayetteville. “The fact that they have such a dynamic arts-therapy program for Youth Bridge really speaks to how they look at the whole child, and find ways for them to express themselves. They may not feel safe doing so in other ways.”

Starry, Starry Night will be 6:30-10 p.m. June 1 at the Fayetteville home of Hershey and Denise Garner. Tickets are $45 in advance, $60 at the door, and there are food and drinks at the outdoor event.

Artists who participate in the fundraiser, like Zega, are given three colors of paint to work with, two brushes, and a 14-by-18-inch canvas. However, they are allowed to break out ofthese restrictions for a $35 donation to Youth Bridge.

This is the second time Zega has contributed art to the event, and she has been a regular attendee. She says it resonates with the community not only because of its support for all that Youth Bridge does, but because it is an arts-theme event, and people who are asked to contribute art often up wind up discovering a previously unknown creative outlet.

“This is one of my favorite events, because it has so much to offer,” Zega says. “It causes [contributors] to get more connected with the organization. We build more friends.”

Founded in 1963 in Winslow as “B oyland,” Youth Bridge serves children and families who are facing homelessness, abuse, neglect, addiction, mental illness and behavioral problems, plus it offers transitional living programs for young adults. It says it is the only agency in Arkansas that operates a runaway/ homeless youth transitional living program, and one of just three in the state that offers substance abuse treatment for youths.

Zega, a director of public affairs at Cox Communications, says her initial involvement with Youth Bridge happened because the company looks to support local organizations that help young people. Youth Bridge’s mission quickly resonated with her.

It recently opened the first building of its planned 46,000-square-foot campus in Springdale, a 26-bed substance abuse center for boys. The first phase of the planned complex will cost approximately $10 million, with $1.2 million coming from a matching “challenge grant,” which will take effect when the organization raises $1.2 million through its ongoing capital campaign. Youth Bridge has raised nearly half that $1.2 million. The rest ofthe funding will come from a successful bond issue.

“Looking at youth that are in need and challenged by a variety of circumstances, you couldn’t find another organization that does a better job than Youth Bridge to really address some significant things for kids that tend to fall through the cracks,” she says. “I feel like their mission is so critical in our area.”

Youth Bridge will have several fundraising events this year, including a Cupcake Challenge (Sept. 8), Breakfast Boogie (Oct. 5) and the It’s aWonderful Life gala (Nov. 8). For more information about Starry, Starry Night … Almost Van Gogh, call (479) 575-9471 or visit youthbridge.com.

Northwest Profile, Pages 33 on 05/19/2013