March: Letter From The Executive Director
“Hitting our stride” for National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
Hello Friends of We Care Arts!
As we kick off National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, which holds special significance to our We Care Arts community, I want to share with you a few things that YOU made possible due to your continued generosity and support.
- In February, the Montgomery County Arts & Culture District grant jurors recognized We Care Arts as an organization “hitting its stride.” They acknowledged our forward momentum, emphasizing that our commitment to art and community is making a profound impact. Their words and the increased 2024 grant award are a testament to the collective dedication and impact that together we are having on our community. Needless to say, when we heard that during the live event, our team was practically tap-dancing with enough enthusiasm to be part of the opening number at this year’s Academy Awards!
- Speaking of glamourous events. . . Did you catch the glitz and glam at our Annual Black & White Gala on March 1st? It was a true masterpiece of teamwork! Our artist-clients, staff, sponsors, and guests joined forces to raise funds for our mission. One touching moment for me that evening was when one artist-client, in disbelief at the number of supporters and their generosity, grabbed my arm and confessed he had no idea there were so many art patrons cheering him on. It is moments like this that is so evident that it is YOUR belief in our mission that fuels the transformative power of art and community in a way that is deeply meaningful to each one of our artist-clients living with developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, and mental health diagnoses.
- Now, as we bask in the afterglow of the inspiring words from the MCACD and our wonderful event, I’m eager to share a sneak peek into our journey with the imminent release of our 2023 Annual Report later this month. In 2023, We Care Arts expanded our ArtWORKS programming over 50% to offer over 15,500 free experience hours. Our Transition to Work programming reached 14 school districts across the Greater Miami Valley, and our Outreach contracts allowed us to provide an astonishing 831% increase in experience hours—all dedicated to the transformative power of art and community for healing.
And as exciting as all three of those updates are, the fact is that not one of these paint-splattering, sing-it-to-the-rafters highlights would be possible without YOUR generous support. As we continue to grow and empower more lives through art and community, I invite you to take a moment to donate today at a level that is meaningful to you because as you read above it is meaningful well beyond the dollar value to those we serve. Your support fuels our mission and ensures that we can reach even greater heights in 2024 as we continue to “hit our stride” and increase our impact!
Last but not least as always, THANK YOU as together we’re turning dreams into brushstrokes of reality!
Katie Neubert
Executive Director