HealingThrough ART By Monica Gutos Images courtesy of Hope at Hand C
reative expression is one of the many ways we persevere through hardships and troubles. Sometimes the stroke of a brush or the scribble of a word is all we need to make sense of the world and get us through the day.
Hope at Hand, a local nonprofit organization, gives at-risk
children and adults a way to relieve stress through the process of creativity. “Hope at Hand began as a tiny spark in an elementary school,” says Founder and Executive Director Steffani Fletcher. Having been an educator for more than 22 years, Steffani has seen how effective poetry and art therapy is in elementary school students. “We wanted to take it out in the community. So it was just a thought. Tis work is so beautiful that we have to do this with children in crisis.”
Tis unique organization takes a different approach to helping at-risk populations and those in crisis situations. “A lot of the traditional therapies have you evaluate the past to see what you did wrong,” says Steffani. “Our approach is basically, how do you move forward?” Another important idea that Hope at Hand focuses on is choice and change. “It’s very empowering to
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think that one has a choice in what’s going on at the present moment with options for change.” Dr. Sally Hague, a Hope at Hand board member, says, “Te art and poetry sessions that Steffani offers brings knowledge and feelings to the surface and helps people understand why they are where they are and even, in some cases, be inspired to try to find a way out to a better life.”
Hope at Hand brings their services to local organizations,
including the PACE Center for Girls, the Bridge of Northeast Florida, the Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless, the Council on Aging, Mackenzie Noelle Wilson Foundation and the Hubbard House Shelter, among many others. Hope at Hand sessions take place at the organization, or on sites where the organization goes to. Steffani collaborates with each organization to select a theme
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