Arts and Drafts Festival

This exciting, fun-filled event will take place Saturday evening, August 6th, from 4:00pm-10:00pm at We care Arts in Kettering, 3035 Wilmington Pike, Kettering, OH 45429.

Arts and Drafts is a community festival that features an art auction comprised of pieces created by nationally renowned tattoo artists, live music, great food, craft beers, craft root beer, and on site tattooing.


 Come enjoy some yummy food from the following local food trucks:

• Wicked 'Wich
• Zombie Dogz
• Cake, Hope and Love
• Orange Leaf

 

We will also have delicious local craft beer and craft root beer provided by:
 

Toxic Brew

BJ's Brew House

 

While enjoying food and drink, relax and listen music provided by the following bands:

• Toni Hates Jazz
• Pocket Rockets
• Lydia Brownfield and Jeff Dalrymple
• The Interns
• Watchfrogs
• Chris Heider

 

We will have on-site tattooing as well as auctioning off beautiful artwork from different tattoo artists. Come and get a tattoo for a good cause, from:

• Trivium Tattoo
• Dark Light Gallery Tattoos

• The event will held behind We Care Arts, in our back lot. There is plenty of parking surrounding the agency. For more information, contact Christine Corba, We Care Arts’ Special Events Coordinator at 937.212.3777 or at ccorba@wecarearts.org.

For information on the 5K Run, Stroll, and Roll please click the link: http://wecarearts.blogspot.com/2016/06/we-care-arts-first-annual-5k-run-stroll_9.html

 

Meet Another Enthusiastic We Care Artist...

We Care Arts is proud to introduce one of our many talented artists, David Hiday.  He is a very active person and happily shares a wide variety of interests he has.  Below in his bio you will also learn what a positive influence WCA has had on his life and who he is today.  After reading his biography imagine how much the staff and volunteers truly enjoy helping to make a difference in the lives of our artists.  

David enjoys drawing and coloring in coloring books. He loves costumes and dressing up. He has many of his own costumes, from Star Trek to hillbillies, Spiderman and the Hulk. He has done finger paintings in previous art classes which hang in the hallway at home. He has blossomed since coming to We Care Arts. He really enjoys painting and special little projects that the staff gives him. He likes to go to Kings Island and his favorite ride is Scooby Doo. His favorite day is Friday. Around the house he does weekly chores like vacuuming and shaking out the rugs. He takes out the garbage, takes care of the cats and the dishwasher.  He is very active in church and has a very strong bond with the Lord. He likes to sing very loudly in church, and is encouraged by the other members who feel that he is really singing from his heart! His favorite TV show is Star Trek Enterprise and The X-Files. David loves to perform for an audience and is happy to dance for anyone. He dances at our events and is the hit of the night! 

Color Your Steps

One of our art teachers, Sharen Eninger, here at We Care Arts enthusiastically explains how she designs shoes as a DIY project.  She has truly enjoyed painting shoes for a long time.  Sharen expressed her passion when she says “It is fun to do wearable art.”

Steps to painting amazing looking shoes:     

• ·         Select plain white canvas shoes 
• ·         Draw your design (geometric/organic figures) in pencil 
• ·         Choose your colors
• ·         Paint bigger areas first
• ·         Or use thick sharpies for big areas
• ·         Use fine sharpies to make smaller designs

Sharen taught this activity to our artists on visiting artist day which was Monday, July 11.  This was a perfect opportunity for people to learn something new as well as experience doing wearable art! 

 

Please find a short you tube video below that shows a portion of the fun filled class! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmG8pitIbKY

Let's celebrate Social Wellness Month!

The month of July is the perfect time to celebrate Social Wellness month, especially with all the fun filled activities we enjoy during the summer.  Social wellness is just one aspect of social well being along with physical, emotional and intellectual wellness. Developing and building positive interaction with others is very helpful for ourselves and others in many ways.   People who are socially isolated are more likely to experience illness as compared to people who are not isolated and they have an increased death rate of 2 to 3 times higher than those who are not socially isolated.

We Care Arts provides a fun and safe environment where people can socialize and build positive interactions with one another. Every time I come to work at WCA it makes my day when I hear all the people expressing how much they enjoy being here.  When we ask our clients what's one of your favorite things about WCA, the most common answer is "the people" or "my friends".  
A news source study stated that approximately 20% of individuals feel lonely or isolated during their free time and because of this WCA has become like a second home to many of our clients.  

A few Tips to add "social" to your Social Wellness Month:

1.  Socialize with friends: Having a conversation with friends and family is a good way to improve quality of life. 

2.  Volunteer in your community: Volunteering is a great way to help others but also a great way to help ourselves live a healthier life.

3. Laugh a little more: Laughter is one of the best medicines out there.  It can help you to sleep better, feel better and even help protect against heart attacks!

4. Attending social events: going to various social events allows you to network with others and develop positive interactions and learn to do many things.  We Care Arts provides many amazing opportunities like this.  If you are interested in learning about our upcoming social events and/or volunteer opportunities you can find all the information on our website below......
We Care Arts

How creative expression can change the lives of people affected by PTSD

June is National PTSD Awareness Month

June is the month for us to raise awareness for PTSD and the potential treatment as well as honor the large population of individuals with or affected by PTSD.  In 2010 Congress named June 27th as PTSD Awareness Day.  Then in 2014 the Senate designated the full month of June as National PTSD Awareness Month. 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is more likely to develop after a person experiences a traumatic event.  After this type of event, most people may develop painful memories for months and even years after the event.  For some people the effects of the event fade but for others the thoughts, memories and feelings never go away even with time.  

Sadly, Mental Health experts are not sure why some people develop PTSD while others don't.  If stressors don't improve over time and they disrupt their everyday life, it is important to seek help to determine if PTSD is present.

One of the many factors that has a positive impact on the life of an individual effected by PTSD is the arts.

Science has demonstrated that creative expression can alter not only personal mood but also lower blood pressure, and help with sleep and the immune response system. These creative expressions include photography, writing, painting, sculpting and many other activities.

 We Care Arts is a wonderful place for individuals with PTSD, along with all types of disabilities, to be empowered to express themselves through creative arts.   

WCA welcomes one of our amazing artists.

We Care Arts is proud to introduce Christopher Suggs, one of our many talented artists. Christopher was born in Dayton, grew up in Trotwood, and attended Trotwood High School. There, he won awards in the art club and enjoyed mentoring younger students. After graduating, he attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati and Sinclair Community College. While at Sinclair in 2006, he had a mental health issue and was briefly hospitalized. Since then, he has worked hard to become independent. Christopher likes to paint landscapes and cityscapes. He also does graphic arts and photography. He likes to work out, doing calisthenics and weight lifting, and running. He mentors youth at his church, to help them stay focused and keep them on the right track. He wants to return to school and complete his art degrees. Early in 2013, he began coming to We Care Arts. He finds coming here encouraging and it really uplifts his spirits. He finds that everyone is understanding about disabilities and he likes being around the positive people at We Care Arts. 

Check out some of Christopher's creative paintings....

We Care Arts at Town and Country Center

We are thrilled to announce that the recently opened kiosk at Town and Country Shopping Center has been successful. It was opened in October of 2015.  This shop is conveniently located across from Trader Joe's where you can easily spot all of the creative crafts designed by our client artists. The large variety of crafts include ceramics, jewelry, purses, scarves and many more hand designed items.

Store hours are:

Monday - Friday 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Saturday 10:00 am - 7:00 pm

Sunday 12:00 pm - 5 pm

Each month one of our talented artists has a table 

that features their amazing work for purchase.

This is a great way to connect with new people and learn all the positive ways art benefits different people.



We also want send a BIG THANK YOU out to Bockrath Flooring for their generous donation to provide us with a new floor in the store.

We truly appreciate all your assistance in making 

We Care Arts an even better place.

Your contributions not only support We Care Arts 
but also everyone that we serve throughout the community.

We Care Arts First Annual 5K Run, Stroll, and Roll

Enjoy the first annual 5k Arts and Drafts: RUN, STROLL and ROLL!

This will be an exciting and fun filled opportunity to connect with others 
and test your stamina for a good cause.  
All proceeds benefit We Care Arts.

Check-in at 6:30 am, Run, Stroll and Roll begins at 8:00 am!

Registration and parking:

  on the Kettering Recreation Complex side, 2900 Glengarry Drive, Kettering, Ohio. 

Click this link to register: http://5KArtsandDrafts.itsyourrace.com/.

Registration:

$35 includes t-shirt if registered by Tuesday July 26, 2016

$40 registered July 27 until run day (shirt cannot be guaranteed)

BY MAIL: We Care Arts, 3035 Wilmington Pike, Kettering, OH 45429

Cost is nonrefundable. Course is completely accessible and the event is open to everyone at all levels of physical ability.

Awards

• Top male and female overall receive a hand painted mug!

• Each participant will receive a handcrafted ceramic medal created by the talented clients at We Care Arts and a free beverage coupon for We Care Arts ARTS and DRAFTS celebration that evening.

  

   

For additional information, contact Chris Corba at ccorba@wecarearts.org or at 937.212.3777.

"An Evening at the Races" was a huge success!!

This year's event was full of firsts! A record 175 people attended We Care Arts "An Evening at the Races" event on May 13. This fundraiser at the Presidential Banquet Center was more successful than ever before. Also, there was more betting at this year's fundraiser than  in previous years.

This was also the first year for our two new, generous sponsors, Hollywood Gaming and ZHCx Consulting Firm, in addition to the Cole Foundation, to contribute to the success of this exciting event.

Everyone had an amazing time, with lots of rambunctious betting, which greatly helped this year's horse race raise more money than ever before in the 50/50 raffle and Heads and Tails contest. This is greatly beneficial to We Care Arts and all of the wonderful services we provide for people with all abilities.


We are also thrilled to say that two of our piggy bank awards for the winning horse owners went all the way to California. It is so wonderful to have people from all over the United States learning about the good work here at We Care Arts!

Introducing One of Our Many Talented Artists

Every month we want to introduce you to one of our many talented artists here at We Care Arts and display  photos of their amazing art work. We truly hope you enjoy getting to know these wonderful artists and learning about art has had a positive effect on their lives.

Meet Aylsie Geier

Aylsie Geier is a mom and a grandma (Nana).   Art is her current occupation. She has been working at We Care Arts for several years.  WCA has been a life-saver for her, she says.  Before she came to WCA, she had been off work for about 8 years.  She has an engineering degree and worked in the automotive field for several years.  She traveled quite a bit and handled a lot of responsibility; perhaps more, she now wonders, than she should have. Her diagnosis is Recurrent Severe Depression, some anxiety and Post-traumatic stress disorder.  These days she likes to try to be creative and be on the positive side.  She feels that WCA is an uplifting experience.  Other artists and the teachers offer encouragement with understanding and acceptance. 

Please check out some of Aylsie's outstanding artwork!

We Care Arts reaching seniors through the new Creative Aging Project

 How does We Care Arts enhance the lives of seniors through Art?  In February, 2016, we started the Creative Aging Project through the Ohio Arts Council, with the primary goal of bringing joy and happiness into the lives of seniors through art. Several of our art teachers currently visit a variety of nursing homes and senior living centers throughout the Dayton area to teach a wide range of art classes.  

These art classes focus on activities such as painting, water colors, stenciling, painting ceramics, bird house, and many other activities. Many of our classes also create projects based on the current holiday. 



Our talented art teachers travel to several different facilities including 10 Wilmington Place and Dynamic Senior Solutions. Other places fortunate to participate in the program include East Dayton Senior Collaborative, Woodglen, Brookdale, Greater Dayton Premier Management, Brookview Place Apartments, the Alzheimer's Association', Widow's Home, Pinnacle Point and the Senior Center of Northwest Dayton. 

These classes are either taught weekly or monthly, depending on the location. 

Since the program began in February, we have definitely seen how these art classes have helped participants in many ways. 
Participating in the art activities truly help people relax and get their mind off of their everyday concerns. Staff and volunteers have experienced positive observations of changes in the participants attitudes and motivation to join the class from one class to the next, or even from the beginning of class to the end. Sometimes, art students bring their family members to class so they can have fun together and enjoy some relaxing family time. 

One active participant seemed sad during the first couple of classes and has become much happier in recent classes. We  have also noticed that these art classes greatly contribute to the pride of the seniors to independently participate in the projects.

Many of the art classes in the Creative Aging Project are large, with over 40 participants. Occasionally, not everyone is actively involved with the art project but still enjoy interacting and observing their friends. 

As you may already know, We Care Arts depends on a large number of volunteers for our events, projects, and activities. Because of the larger sized classes, the Creative Aging Project can always benefit from more volunteers. 

If you are interested in learning more about We Care Arts or helping to enhance the lives of seniors through this project, please feel free to contact us. 

How does art benefit our mental health?

                                            How does art benefit our mental health?

 

 

 

Art is truly beneficial for our lives in many ways. According to Be Brain Fit, it does not matter what type of artistic activity you are doing, it can help to relieve stress, as well as help you to feel mentally clear and calm. Doing artwork can give your brain a break from your usual thoughts and allow you to put aside your worries.

Art in general also helps to promote creative thinking and improve problem solving skills.

Being involved with artistic activities is an amazing way to increase a person's self-esteem by giving them a sense of accomplishment. Creating art actually increases the level of dopamine, which is known as the "feel good"neurotransmitter, in the human body. A higher level of dopamine helps to increase a person's drive, focus, and concentration.  As a result, a person is much more likely to feel like "I did it!" when performing any type of art such as painting, drawing, sewing, sculpting, gardening, photography, and many others.


One of We Care Arts main goals is to help improve the lives of people with all abilities through art.

Our clients truly enjoy coming to our safe studio regularly, to explore and experience a wide range of artistic activities, as well as socialize with their friends.

If you were one of the proud employees, like me, you would definitely hear people with a variety of situations and backgrounds, talking about how much being involved with art at WCA really helps them!