Painting helps youngsters heal

Sorrow and magic overlapped at Camp Shine, as the father of a slain Marjory Stoneman Douglas student joined teens who survived the school shooting and used spray paint to fill a blank wall with messages of love, hope and peace.

"I lost my son, but I got all of you here," Manuel Oliver, the father of Joaquin "Guac" Oliver, told the 20 or so students at the summer camp, which uses art, drama and music to help students cope with grief that lingers after the shooting on Feb 14, 2018.

Oliver, an artist who turned toward activism after his son's murder, guided students during a therapeutic graffiti session at Pine Trails Park in Parkland, Florida. He encouraged them to focus on a theme, and "give ourselves that gift of being happy while we paint". Love, hope, peace and equality were the themes, they said.