September: Letter from the Executive Director
Ready or not it seems that September is here moving us ever closer to that beautiful change in our art palette. Orange pumpkins, ghoulish candles, and fuzzy purple bats have already begun to gather in our classes. But before I jump into our update, I wanted to share a great recent experience here at We Care Arts.
Our visiting artist had the class using hammers to create impressions from flowers. While the color was beautiful, as you can imagine the hammering was loud. . . and then rhythmic until just 2 were left tapping out their beat. While one artist-client was totally engrossed in the pounding of the flowers, the other glanced up to see my goofy-self dancing to their beat. Now this artist-client is often very serious to say the least and when I saw him look me in the eye, smile, and repress a giggle at my antics, my heart just soared!
This was truly a wonderful example for me of the many amazing mission moments where art and community came together to make all the difference here at We Care Arts. And I never forget for a moment that it is YOUR vision and commitment to our mission that lights up the lives of our remarkable artist-clients and has ripple effects out across our entire community.
It is because of your unwavering support that I wanted to share a quick update on recent developments. Recently, as you have heard, we’ve encountered an Ohio DODD Compliance challenge. This has prompted changes in how we support our artist-clients’ creative journeys. While these changes are tough, our focus remains clear – empowering artists.
As we navigate these changes, we’re reaching out to organizations and advocacy groups facing similar issues. We continue to invite you to write letters and send them to me here at We Care Arts, so we can amplify our united voice and commitment to our mission. Your letters of support are truly a pillar of our strength. One such letter emphasized their feelings that this policy change by the Ohio DODD forcing We Care Arts to treat DODD artist-clients differently than their classmates “seems counterproductive and hypocritical and discriminatory.” Another letter sent from an artist-client shared that they believe that “…a commission on their work is important to the We Care Art experience. For me when I’m allowed to [sell] artwork I’ve made, [it] gives me a feeling of value, self-worth, and esteem.”
At We Care Arts, we’ve always celebrated the creativity and diversity of our artist-clients. Their art has touched countless lives, and we’re grateful for your part in making that possible in the past, today, and into our future. This means that amidst these challenges, our dedication to empowering the artist-clients remains unwavering. We will continue to advocate with and for them. We will continue to have times where we just celebrate the moment and our art. And we’re excited to invite you to get involved with our upcoming events this fall:
- Tour de Gem: HAVE YOU HEARD?? Last week it was announced that We Care Arts already had the largest team and was 5th in donations received. But this week the Clean Water Lemurs have pulled ahead with one more rider and Bicycles for All just edged us out of 5th by $40. So, while it is true that of course, the Tour de Gem is for the good of supporting our entire community and I just may be a bit biased, but if you would like to help show that all those other groups are all wet just like those pesky Lemurs…. then please join our team today! Seriously though, this is an inclusive family friendly day out with routes ranging from just 1 mile to 105 miles and we hope you will join and support our team! Saturday, October 1.
- Second Annual Trunk or Treat:[CN1] Spooky fun awaits on October 28th at our annual Trunk-or-Treat event. Dress up, decorate your trunk, and bring joy to all of our participants. This is an event open to the community with opportunities for reserving your own parking spot (Reserve A Spot) or just dressing up to come out for a fun filled holiday event that requests everyone to be respectful of those with sensory issues so it will not have super blinky lights or shockingly loud noises.
- Cookie Walk & Santa’s Tot Shop: This annual crowd pleaser is already swinging into action as we have a call out for bakers and volunteers to help that day with cookies and in our first ever Santa’s tot shop where the kiddos will have a chance to do some super-secret holiday shopping for their family. The fact is this is the most delicious way to make a difference!! Purchase tickets to Santa’s Tot Shop here!
As you can tell there is always something going on at We Care Arts. I am looking forward to an exciting fall that starts this month. Thank you for being such a beacon of support as together we empower our artist-clients and find special ways to continuously bring our mission to life. Together, we are making a difference!
With gratitude and hope,
Katie Neubert
Executive Director
PS. Did you know that you can set up a recurring monthly donation to support our artist-clients on our website and that just for the cost of a cup a coffee or two a month you can help support programming like our Visting Artist?
Yes, I’d like to become a recurring monthly donor!
[CN1]Link needed here please