Update on Make Your Own Flower Pot

 

     We want to take this special opportunity to share with you how amazing our event was this past weekend at Town and Country Shopping Center in Kettering.  Thank you so much for being a part of this event and helping to make it the best experience possible.  For those of you who were not able to participate this time we are thrilled to announce that there will be many more opportunities in the future as they want us to continue doing these or something similar on a regular basis.  

What a great time and a great turnout at our Paint Your Own Flower Pot event at Town and Country Shopping Center last Saturday! We had over 50 pot painting artists and everyone really seemed to enjoy the event. We created quite a stir in the shopping center breezeway, with the happy noises coming from our group! 

Please make sure to be on the lookout for our next DIY event at Town and Country either on the blog, our Facebook page or our website.  If you have an idea about what we could do for our next class this fall (or any other time), please post a comment to this blog, and we’ll try to make it happen! Thank you so much!!! 

                                                

Meet Stephanie

Meet one of our many active artists who have become a huge part of our We Care Arts family.  Stephanie has been coming to We Care Arts since 2005 and we can definitely see how much her time here truly means to her and how beneficial for her health and well being. 

 Stephanie has spent her entire life growing up in Dayton, Ohio.  She is the third child in the family with two brothers and one sister.  She attended Fairmont High School then went on to vocational school studying restaurant management.


Stephanie’s favorite colors are teal and green.  She enjoys watching dramas and Grey’s Anatomy.  She likes to listen to Christian and country music.  Some of her hobbies include embroidery, hanging out with her cat, Cosmo, and swimming. 

Stephanie has a learning disability but doesn’t let her disability slow her down from being actively involved in the community.  When she was eight she began participating in the Special Olympics.  She did swimming, track, and bowling during the Special Olympics when she was younger, and continues to do bowling.  Stephanie expressed how much she loved the Special Olympics when she said, “I like being with my friends and always have fun with the competition.” One day her friend Walter from church told her about his experience at We Care Arts and she decided to start attending.  One of her favorite things about coming to We Care Arts is hanging out with friends.  She describes it as “Fun to hang out with people from different backgrounds and who have other kinds of disabilities.” Her favorite kind of art activity is painting on wood.  She has one favorite water color painting at home that hangs on her wall.  On Mondays when she comes to We Care Arts she likes to be involved with the sign language class and has helped us out by performing a few songs she learned in the class at some of our special events.  She truly enjoys learning sign language because she wants to be able to communicate with other individuals who are deaf or non-verbal, including her 21-year-old nephew who has autism.  She had an amazing experience signing “I love you” to her nephew and he signed it back.  That meant a lot to her just like that means a lot to all of us to be able to show our love and support to each other.  

Let's Get Our Flowers Blooming

Paint Your Own Flower Pot!  

Get into spring with the We Care Arts’ Paint Your Own Flower Pot event!  Kids (of ALL ages) can paint a small flower pot any way they like, and we will plant a flower in it, all for $5. We provide all the supplies and our “Garden Gnomes” will be there to help!  Join us on Saturday May 20, from 10 to 2 in the Town and Country breezeway for this fun and creative event!

We used to have our Garden Party event around this time of year, but are sorry to have discontinued it. With the new fundraisers and classes that we have added in recent years, we thought that we needed to ease the workload for our already very busy staff! But we hope that all the people who enjoyed our pot painting part of the Garden Party will come to Town and Country and let their creativity fly!  

This is the perfect place to do a fun activity, network with others, and enjoy the shopping center.  Please mark your calendar and spread the word with your friends and family.  

Let's Celebrate Mobility Awareness Month!

Come join We Care Arts in playing a major role in celebrating Mobility Awareness Month.  The month of May is a special month committed to bringing people living with disabilities the mobility solutions they need to live a life full of achievement, independence and prosperity.  

We Care Arts is more than proud to have the privilege to serve many individuals who experience mobility issues.  We want to make sure they receive all the equipment and services they need to be as independent as possible.  We also strongly encourage self-advocacy and advocating for others no matter where you are in the community.  

According to the Mobility Awareness Month website the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA), made up of over 600 members, reaches out to communities across the United States and Canada to raise awareness of handicap vans, trucks and specialty vehicles, hand controls and steering aids, transfer seats and seating solutions, wheelchair tie downs and other adaptive mobility equipment available. 

Like the NMEDA and many other organizations, it is our priority to spread awareness and ensure all individuals with mobility challenges are fully active and incorporated in our community.  Below are some interesting facts that highlight the importance of celebrating Mobility Awareness Month.  

Did You Know?

1. Over 18 million people in the U.S. and Canada have mobility issues

• People with disabilities constitute the largest minority group in the United States and the only group anyone can become a member of at anytime
• One in five elderly have mobility issues
• There are mobility equipment manufacturers, dealers and certified driver rehabilitation specialists in your community dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities
• Automotive mobility solutions are available for people with disabilities, enabling them to enjoy active, mobile lifestyles

Were you surprised about some of the things learned or realized from these facts?  We truly hope that you take this special opportunity to promote Mobility Awareness Month, not just during the month of May but every chance you get.