BY BECKY HOLLAND

It has been said and proven time and time again that God utilizes ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary events in every day life.

So, Ronald I. Walton, now an Atlanta resident, age 48, should fitright in with this ideal. Right? Wrong.

The Thomasville, native has never been ordinary, though the father of two boys, ages 23 and 20, says, “I am just going to be me.”

Being him, in this case, has meant he has been attacking with positive energy everything in life that he has encountered and charmed everyone he meets since the day he entered this world on January 23.

His most recent adventure, a project to expand access to serious,progressive instruction in the performing, literary, and visual arts for children and youth living in public housing communities all across the state of Georgia-from Atlanta to Thomasville and back. In fact, Walton believes that such a project would be a great benefit to the young people in all communities.

According to Walton, this project is to be utilized “in order to improve their quality of life and promote skills leading to greater self-sufficiency.”

How is Walton proposing to do this? Through a not for profit organization called, “411ART.”

“411ART” stems from Walton’s sincere desire to “inspire today’s young people to go further than they ever imagined possible with just some simple talents and abilities,” and is probably based on his own childhood experiences of life in “about 13 cities in the continental USA” as a military child. Many of Ronald’s development years were spent under his grandmother’s protective eyes. He went to college, majored in secondary education and coaching and spent some of his own time traveling. Interestingly enough, Ronald can’t remember when he himself first became interested in visual art, and much less why. He just remembers “always liking to draw.”

Just as the effervescent Walton enjoys a good game of basketball,his passion seems to be helping young people. Though his occupational background has centralized in distribution and logistic and facilities management, Ronald has felt it his “calling” to somehow or other work positively with youth who live in public housing communities, like he did when he was younger. His beginning in arts programs for young people started in Birmingham, Alabama with a non profit organization called “Space One Eleven.”This project assisted in providing youth in such communities with “the tools to develop artistic abilities” and to allow them “opportunities to learn” and to express themselves, according to Walton, creatively in a “positive manner.”

Upon moving to Atlanta, Ronald found work in the management field but his roving eye noticed the young people in the city and in his travels.According to Walton, “Art can be a means of helping them to achieve an education of higher learning, as well as guide them toward staying out of serious trouble.”

The facts are there as Walton pointed out. Children that are involved in the arts-whether it be in visual or performing-do better in math and science and social studies and language classes. Simply put, when a young person is focused for a bit on one activity, such as completing a painting,they are learning to focus “their energy and feelings and potential.” Studies have confirmed that grades and test scores have risen, especially among low income students, when they had access to art programs. “The mission of 411ART is to collaborate with families, schools, and youth serving agencies to effectively nurture and strengthen the creative powers of the population of the youth we wish to serve.”

“To fulfill this mission, we will reach out to the youth living in public housing and provide them with the tools and opportunities in visual arts,” said Walton. A self proclaimed Adidas man, Walton said, “My dad always said getting mad don’t change a thing, and he was right, but like Nike says, we need to ‘just do it’, and follow Reebok’s theme, ‘you come strong, or don’t come at all’.”

Though his 411ART program is still presently on the“cutting room floor” as planning and preparation takes place, Walton is true evidence of Sir Thomas Buxton’s quote that “With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance all things are attainable!” Even in Dodge County.

For more information, contact Ronald Walton at mrwalton99@yahoo.com

Ronald is the son of Mrs.Doris Booker of Thomasville.

Becky Holland is the Features & Technology Coordinator for TheTimes Journal, Eastman, Georgia. www.thetimesjournal.net