You Glow!
I just wanted to say thanks for your new Crayola Color Explosion Glow Board! My eleven-year-old will not stop playing with it and my fifteen-year-old even loves it! I told my friend about this wonderful gift idea, and she got one for her daughter--even her fifteen-year-old loves it, too! I'm extremely impressed with what you come up with to occupy kids of all ages! So with that, thanks!

Twist Up the Fun!
I have loved Crayola products for a long time. However, my son has some sensory issues and can't stand the feel of the paper on crayons. I originally bought some Twistable Crayons for myself so these long fingers of mine could still enjoy coloring with ease! We were so excited to find that our son loves using the Twistable Crayons, too. You have given our family the gift of coloring again. Thank you so much for being creative and meeting the needs of little hands and big ones too!

Expressions
I would like to share an experience that Crayola is part of...In 2005, my daughter was hurt and broke both of her wrists. During her rehab, she was not able to do much. She asked me for some Crayola crayons and a coloring book. Over the next few weeks, she said to me "Daddy, coloring made me feel much better." Every Christmas since then, I have been donating 125 sets of Christmas coloring books and Crayola crayons to the hospital. Attached is a letter I received from the hospital in which they express that these gifts have brought comfort and joy to their pediatric patients. Thank you for helping me making these kids "feel better". This is a tradition I plan to keep for a long time.
(Sharon Hartley, Vice President Marketing and Sales, North America, personally responded to this consumer and sent crayons to the hospital in Mr. Powers' honor.)

Coloring Therapy - Not Just for Kids
We have a friend who suffered a massive stroke a year or more ago. She apparently started with this stroke shortly after going to bed. She lived with her son who worked the day shift; after he left for work she tried to get up but couldn't stand. Therefore, by the time she received help, her left side was completely paralyzed. She kept up good spirits as she recovered her memory. Her days were spent (after therapy didn't help) lying in bed mostly watching TV. Her son brought her a coloring book and crayons and thus began a new life for her! Mostly she uses the black and brown colors, but thoroughly enjoys her new found tasks. I don't know how many books and crayons she has gone through. Her son tears the pictures out and she colors them. Of course she has to have the large pictures, which are sometimes hard to find, but so far we have managed to keep one handy. Thanks for the new energy you created for an 80 year old who thought her life of joys was over!

Crayola Crayons Meet Special Needs
Hello world of color! I wanted to share a unique situation with you. Currently, my husband, who is a principal, and myself, a certified special education teacher, and our four incredible children live in St. Charles, IL. Since our children range in ages 7 to 18, Crayola Crayons have been part of our lives for quite a while. Not to mention our own childhood, but as teachers too. As an involved parent, volunteer, and coach, my husband and I have made a commitment to our schools and community and have made it a priority with our own children to serve their community as well. Here is my current project: I am a substitute teacher in a large district west of Chicago. We have nearly 14,000 students. But of these vast numbers, which include 17 schools, there are some students who demonstrate some significant emotional needs. Children who are emotionally disturbed and autistic are some of the issues that challenge a small, but highly involved group. One beautiful 7-year-old girl that I have worked with LOVES Crayola Crayons! Since she was very young, she has loved to handle, count, group and play with the crayons. One main issue she has is that she LOVES, LOVES, AND NEEDS to peel the paper off the crayons in small pieces. When arriving to school, she gets her crayons, and starts to peel. Outside wrappers in one cup, peeled crayons in another. After gentle guidance, she attempts to work on her reading, math or writing, and then it's back to the crayons, as a reward for her efforts. This is what motivates our little blonde haired friend. Her little fingers gently peeling and handling the smooth outside of those beautiful colored crayons. Broken, slightly torn, worn, doesn't matter, she wants those crayons. They are her connection to people. Since the start of this school year, the last week of August, she has peeled over 20 pounds of crayons! When I worked with her, I would talk about coloring, which she would do, I talked about the colors, which she would sometimes share, and I came with an idea for a couple of projects. One, to write and see if you have crayons that don't quite "fit the standard to sell" and that you could perhaps donate to my little friend. I have been asking art teachers, friends and family for all their "remnants". What a perfect use for those beat up crayons that we toss aside or throw away. My second idea, is to create artwork using the peeled crayons. A tree made of brown and green crayons, broken red pieces for apples. You get the picture. :) So, here I am looking for your thoughts. Let me know if you think you have something we could do. Crayola Crayons have been touching children's hands for decades. Sometimes we don't realize the different places they go. :) Sometimes we don't realize what expression can be made with a crayon, and sometimes we don't know the impact or connection that can be made to a child, a child in need, a child who uses this "tool" in her own way to tell her story.

Crayola Colored Memories
When I was fairly young, we moved to a farm in Waterford, a small place between Michigan City, Indiana and LaPorte, Indiana. My father had just passed away and my mother, her parents, her sister, as well as my two sisters and one younger brother moved into the old farmhouse. The front porch was huge. It even had a fireplace. Along two sides were large windows that looked out on to a large side lawn we called the playground. To the east was our front yard with a huge pine tree several feet around.
In the spring, summer and fall we would often sit at a wonderful round table that had clawed legs. In the middle of the table, there was a cardboard box full of Crayola crayons. There were all sorts of colors to choose from. They were in all stages of use. Some were hardly used and still had their paper wrapper about them. Many had been used to create pictures of every sort on countless days around that table. They were the small stubs that had been used on so many rainy days when we couldn't go outside.
As I write this story I can still smell the box and see my brother and sisters as we enjoyed the Crayola crayons and the art we could produce. When I became older, I became an elementary teacher. My favorite thing to do in class was to have the children use their Crayola crayons to illustrate their work in many of our subjects. It was always a great delight to see them create.