KIRKLAND, Wash. — A 17-year-old artist just received the "Giving Back" award from the Kirkland Downtown Association and Amazon for his work giving back to his community.
Austin Picinich first caught the attention of the City of Kirkland when he organized hundreds of volunteers to assist in his project, called Save our Salmon Through Art (SOS). He led the painting of multiple "Save our Salmon" murals which called attention to salmon restoration projects in north Lake Washington creeks.
The city reached out for his services painting a local staple this holiday.
Santa’s North Pole Mail Box has been a holiday tradition since 2016 and after many harsh winters, the mailbox was looking a bit worn.
“The city reached out to me so I could come give the mailbox a fresh coat of paint and make sure it looks great for all the kids who are sending letters to Santa,” said Picinich.
The classic red and white mailbox sat on the corner of Kirkland Avenue and Lake Street for the last month and Austin says his favorite part is what happens after the kids drop off their letters.
“Kirkland has an amazing group of volunteer elves that help Santa and write back to each child,” Picinich said.
Celestina Hendrickson with Kirkland Downtown Association says they are a small nonprofit and couldn’t pull off holiday magic like this without volunteers and passionate people like Austin.
The volunteer elves say Santa reads all the letters first and they assist with responses to let all the kids know he got their letter. They’ve written back to more than 1,000 children this month and will send responses to every kid on official North Pole letterhead by Christmas.
Picinich says one community art project leading to another is exactly what he is hoping to encourage and is already talking with the city of Kirkland about more public art projects in 2023. You can see more of the teen's work on his website.