Congratulations to Creative Kids on 25 Years of Impact and Inspiration!
The El Paso Downtown Management District congratulates Creative Kids on their 25th anniversary and commends founders Andrea Gates-Ingle and Stephen Ingle for their dedication to empowering young people through the arts. Since its founding in 1999, Creative Kids has served as a transformative force for youth across El Paso, providing children with opportunities to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, preparing them to overcome future challenges.
Nestled in the heart of Union Plaza, Creative Kids has grown from humble beginnings to become a nationally recognized organization that empowers over 800 children each year. Founders Andrea and Stephen, who returned to El Paso from different parts of the country, met at UTEP, united by their shared passion for helping others. Together, they built Creative Kids on a foundation of passion, persistence, and perseverance. They started small, volunteering with other nonprofits and afterschool programs to bring their vision to life, and soon earned their first major opportunity when The Hospitals of Providence Children’s Hospital invited them to design an arts program for pediatric oncology patients. This partnership led to Project Arts-in-Motion (AIM), which has since become a cornerstone of Creative Kids’ offerings and earned the organization an Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Driven by a mission that, as Creative Director Stephen Ingle shared in a previous interview with us a year ago, is “not to make artists but to help shape good people,” Creative Kids has continued to expand. Programs like Project Able (Art Brokers’ Learning Experiences) provide an outlet for “disconnected” youth in Fabens to express themselves creatively in a safe environment. The Resiliency Art Program (RAP), launched to support children and families impacted by the August 3rd Wal-Mart tragedy, promotes healing, tolerance, and cross-cultural dialogue through art. Other programs include Little Picassos for children ages 4-8, which introduces art education through age-appropriate, engaging activities, and the LEAD program for educators, fostering inspiration and curriculum development.
Creative Kids’ commitment to the community extends to their choice of location in Downtown El Paso, where Andrea and Stephen sought to create an enduring legacy. By positioning their headquarters downtown, they aimed to integrate with the rich cultural offerings nearby, encouraging cross-programming and accessibility for families who can visit the library, museums, and stadium.
As Creative Kids marks this significant milestone, the El Paso Downtown Management District extends heartfelt congratulations to Andrea, Stephen, and the entire Creative Kids team. Their hard work has created a lasting, positive impact on countless young lives, embodying their guiding principles of passion, persistence, and perseverance. Here’s to the next 25 years of Creative Kids’ inspiring legacy and the continued enrichment of the El Paso community through the arts.
Andrea Gates-Ingle and Stephen Ingle