Our Program Coordinator, Lori, was looking for more than just a craft project and ended up finding even more value than she planned. Lori shares with us what she discovered.
"Shooting for the Stars" came about because I was looking for a "building" project, not just a craft project, because I have so many men in my program. One of the other Program Coordinators, Mary, showed me a picture of a project she had seen in a store that she thought she might do some day. I completed the one in this picture and learned what needed to be changed to make the project more doable by our members.
I initially loved the idea of this project as it would involve using a hammer & nails; however, in actually doing it with the members, it has provided so much more. First of all, every member has participated in the project to their fullest extent, which of course differs for everyone. As you can see from the pictures, everyone has been very focused when working on the project. Many members have commented on how nice their project looks, which is amazing to see how proud they are of their accomplishment.
Moreover, it is a project that we are working on over the course of several weeks and which provides many different opportunities to express creativity, use fine motor skills, and helps each member to focus on the project and not their concerns/anxieties for at least a few moments in the day. Eventually the project will also provide the opportunity to use a hammer and lots of nails if they so choose.
The "Shooting for the Stars" project has been more successful than I could have imagined as there is no wrong way to do it…just however the member envisions it, combined with their abilities, and working together.
The pictures from this project also inspired this Old Friends Club New Year's Video.
Do you have some creative ideas or some special skills that you would like to share with our members? Consider volunteering with us and contact us today!
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