The Garrison Gazette: TEAM Talent- Art Gallery

I have had a blast this past year working to get the TEAM Talent program established in our clinic. It all started with a vision. Sometimes my visions can be a little scary, but with the help of so many volunteers and co-workers this vision finally came true. And it wasn't scary at all ;)

I was able to participate in a program called ACTS (Acting Creates Therapeutic Success) while I was in occupational therapy school. ACTS is an inclusive theater opportunity for people of all ages and abilities in Conway and surrounding communities.Through ACTS, occupational therapy and theater students at the University of Central Arkansas work with and learn from participants with disabilities. ACTS is structured in weekly theater sessions and participants create original theatrical works based on a theme they choose. It typically consisted of adults from age 18 and up. This program was very special to me. I almost didn't want to leave the Conway area because I loved it so much. When I graduated I knew that I wanted to help facilitate something like it. Surely it can't be that hard, right?!?!

Well, with the help of Amber Spencer and my bosses (weird grammar but I have two- Kym Hannah and Cindy Watson) at work we were able to lay out the foundation of the program titled TEAM Talent. This program allows children with special needs from Children's Therapy Team and the surrounding area an opportunity to highlight their abilities and shine like stars in an acting program in the fall semester and an art program in the spring semester. We meet once a week for an hour. During this time prepare for the performance in December and our art gallery in May. The goals of this program are to develop and improve appropriate social skills, encourage teamwork, improve self-esteem, and so much more.

So we have just completed our first full year of TEAM Talent and I could not be more pleased. It makes me all teary eyed thinking about it. It all started in August 2009 with a great group of kids working together to create their own story line, come up with costume ideas, design and make props, and ultimately direct their own play for their performance in front of a crowd of about 250+ people. Talk about shocking. We really only thought our first performance would be in front of about 75 people. The kids did awesome. The volunteers were amazing and our first performance was a huge success.

Yesterday was our art gallery which went AWESOME! The volunteers worked so hard to frame the art pieces and prepare them to be displayed. They all worked so hard to make it a great experience for each kid and I could not have been more pleased with the way it all turned out. We were able to use the Fayetteville Town Center and all of the art was displayed on the walls. We also had a face painter and a balloon animal artist for the children and families of our clinic. It was such a rewarding experience. Can I just say, I LOVE MY JOB! Each kiddo dressed as a some of their favorite television characters and favorite TV personalities. We also had KNWA come out and do stories on the program. Below is the clip they showed last night and they will be broadcasting another one tomorrow night. I will be sure to record it and post it. The video I am about to post is of Samuel Spencer. He actually dressed as our local meteorologist and everyone that came to see his art also got the weekly forecast. He is absolutely precious and did a great job last night. It was really neat because they invited him over to the news studio and he got to watch his favorite meteorologist report the weather and was actually pulled up to sit in his lap on live TV. Such a great experience. Enjoy the video and pictures! Check back for another posting this week. Hopefully I can catch the next news broadcast. It will be a longer broadcast focused on our program. That's what I am hoping anyway.