AVIVA FAMILY SERVICES
Our grant for $20,000 provides 3 child-friendly, creative spaces within the Wallis Home for homeless women and their children. The goal is to cultivate a rich environment for expressive arts and discovery including: a visual arts courtyard, digital media lab, and imaginative play lounge. Approximately 90-120 homeless children from birth to 16 years old year will participate in visual and digital arts, music, theater and movement classes and have access to free time to explore. Our grant will create exploration zones within the home to not only expand the number and types of workshops that can be provided, but also to fill the home with opportunities for children to explore with their mothers outside of specific workshops. Imaginative play and artistic expression are essential to healthy development. For children who have experienced trauma, the arts offer refuge and healing.