MSU Empty Bowls fundraiser raises $2,000 for Rowan County Christmas

Students in the Morehead State University Ceramics Guild annually commit their time and talent to the Empty Bowls fundraiser. For the 2021 event, which took place last November, members of the guild donated over 200 hand-crafted bowls to be purchased along with a meal to support Rowan County Christmas.  

The event raised over $2,000 for local families in need.  

Quinn Maher, visiting assistant professor of ceramics at MSU, said he was pleased MSU ceramics students organized and planned this fundraiser that combines creativity and a cause.  

"I think that it is a privilege to participate with an organization like Rowan County Christmas, an event that is truly bigger than ourselves," Maher said. "Ceramics has the amazing ability to create community, in the studio, people working together as a collective rather than an individual. So, we understand the importance of those relationships and we look forward to opportunities to participate in the community that we all live in."  

Established in 1993, Rowan County Christmas provides Christmas gifts and meal vouchers for low-income children and seniors in the community. It was founded by local service organizations, churches, civic organizations, local businesses and community leaders. In 2019, the program aided more than 500 families and individuals.    

For more information about Rowan County Christmas, visit www.rowancountychristmas.org or contact Board Chair Tonya LeMaster at 606-776-2997.  

To learn more about programs in Morehead State's Department of Art and Design, visit www.moreheadstate.edu/art, email arde@moreheadstate.edu or call 606-783-2766.