ThePower

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Dona showed me the power of beauty in art

Dona Avila has been an art educator in Pomona for more than 40 years. Teaching in the VAPA program for elementary art instructors, she taught children the beauty of art every day for more than 40 years. As an Art Team member she taught more than 600 children every week for those 40 years and shared the beauty of art all around them: in their city, in their culture, in their home. She inspired thousands of Pomona children to excel in the arts. In addition, her husband taught and was a principal in Pomona for decades and spread the love of teaching and learning to their daughter Nori, who also teaches currently in the Pomona Unified School District. Dona inspired me to reach high and “grab the ring’ when she hired me to join the Pomona Art Team members, where I taught alongside her for nine fantastic, creative, and inspiring years.