Deneen

Mid-January Cabin Fever? How’s this for a Heat Wave? 2011 College Experience alumnus Jessica Lewis created this image of warmer days on a tropical isle while taking private art lessons at the Art in Mind Creative Wellness Studio @artinmindstudio. Healthline.com suggests 5 Tips for Coping with “Cabin Fever” 1.       Connect with nature – Get outside if the weather allows, invest in some houseplants, or watch a nature documentary. 2.       Get your body moving – A little Cardio goes a long way. Go outside if the weather allows or try a free fitness app or YouTube Videos. 3.       Carve out some quiet time – Sometimes [...]

Dani Livingston, a member of our Day Community Opportunities Program’s has been fervently penning her creative thoughts to paper in DCOP’s writing group. Not only has she shared about her Christmas celebrations but she wrote a fiction piece about a fantasy land that she created called “Murphingham” and a book review about Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith. Please enjoy her various pieces below.

The College Experience recently welcomed 2019 graduate Reed Grontas back to the Transitions Program. Although his mother and the rest of the family were sad to see him leave his Long Island hometown after his extended Holiday vacation, they were able to squeeze in one last adventure on his way back home. Reed and his mother took a walk through Manhattan’s Herald Square and then toured the brand new Moynihan Train Hall within Penn Station which opened on New Year’s Day.  The construction features a gigantic, 92 feet high ceiling covered in skylights above the main concourse. From there, he was [...]

"The show must go on" is an expression as old as time and applies even to times of a pandemic. Certainly, modifications must be made in order to ensure safety of the thespians, but with creativity, their talents can be allowed to flourish. Our 2018 College Experience alumnus, Nick Williams engaged in his first Zoom performance with his peers at the Blue Horse Repertory Company (www.Bluehorserepertory.com). Nick helped perform the scenes from, "Revolutionary Road" and "Thor Ragnarok."  Nick was challenged to further hone his already impressive acting talents for this performance. He developed his improvisational skills for some spontaneous moments in [...]

If 2020 brought us any positive benefits, it was in the creation of new traditions. Our Residential Program issued a Christmas Decorating Challenge! All in the program were encouraged to involved in the decorating of their house with creative homemade crafts and ornaments. Now, our residential team is always up for a challenge and the GAME WAS ON!           Here are just a few of the many photos we received showing success to the contest. It wouldn’t be a challenge without judges and prizes, but lets be honest, all who participated were winners. They enjoyed the fruits [...]

Every year, the Living Resources office staff look forward to visiting the various programs to chat with our individuals and deliver holiday cheer. Sadly, this year, COVID regulations prevented in-person visits, but true to the spirit of 2020, we came up with a new plan. The result was an explosion of Yuletide joy among our entire Living Resources family. Office staff who were decked out in their "ugliest" Christmas sweaters, elf costumes, and other festive attire executed a spirited Christmas car \parade at a safe distance from individuals in their cars and vans.  Retired CEO Fred Erlich (aka Santa Claus) was [...]