March 2024 Newsletter

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” ~Robert Collier 

Editorial 

Dear Dawn to Dusk Community,

Spring is almost here and we're ready to spring forward with some new programs and updates at Dawn to Dusk!

We're excited to announce that in March, we are launching the planning around a Sensory Based Program.  Many of our participants benefit from small group activities and enjoy spaces that are smaller, cozier, less bright and some quiet and calm. Whereas our program already provides these options, very soon we will launch a dedicated space and  programming for our participants that may benefit more from a Sensory Based  program. While the introduction of this program will take place in our current space, we have begun construction of an additional space that will be dedicated to Sensory Based Programming. 

I am also pleased to announce our collaboration with HealthRHYTHMS®, an evidence-based Recreational Music program that leverages the benefits of group empowerment drumming as a life enhancement tool. On April 27th and 28th, Dawn to Dusk Wellbeing Center will be hosting HealthRHYTHMS® Facilitator Training with Arlene De Silva. Click here to learn more and/or register for this two day Facilitator Training event. We intend to have a Dawn to Dusk staff attend this training to further enhance our Music Enrichment Program. If you need more information or have questions, write to me at: sesh@dawntoduskwellbeing.com.

As the weather gets better and brighter, we look forward to more opportunities for outdoor activities as our participants explore March's theme of Seeing Green. We continue to stay inspired by all those who put in so much of themselves into providing the best care for our participants. Thank you for continued partnership, support, and trust in Dawn to Dusk. 

~Sesh Subramanian

Life Skills and Growing Independence

We're excited to share that our program is continuing to develop essential life skills with our participants! Three months ago, we explored the food pyramid and categorized the foods we enjoy into different food groups. Now, we're taking this knowledge and connecting it to an important aspect of life - Money Management. We'll be exploring grocery store circulars and comparing prices of the foods we enjoy from the food pyramid. This exercise will help us understand the value of money and how to make informed decisions when it comes to spending on groceries. By connecting past skills to money management, we hope to instill a sense of financial responsibility in our participants. We believe that these essential life skills are important for success and independence, and we're proud to be a part of this journey with our participants. We'll continue our journey by helping each team plan a meal using their cooking skills, shopping, preparing, and enjoying a meal they have thoroughly enjoyed with their teammates. Stay tuned for updates on our progress!

Other Activities:

• What's Cooking:  In February, our schedule only allowed for one cooking session toward the end of the month, but boy was it worth the wait! The participants followed directions from one of our Irish staff’s homemade Irish Soda Bread recipe to make the most delicious homemade Irish Soda Bread! Reading, scooping, pouring, stirring, kneading, and rolling required all hands on deck during this cooking session, and everyone got the sensory experience of working with dough that actually IS edible, although not until after it’s baked! The participants who participated in this session were excited to share the bread with their friends during the afternoon snack the next day, and the festive bread was enjoyed by all!

• Meal Times: At Dawn to Dusk, we strive to provide a well-rounded experience for our participants, and that includes offering three delicious meals each day. From a hearty breakfast to a satisfying lunch, and finishing the day with a tasty afternoon snack, our kitchen staff prepare all of our meals in the center. From washing hands before sitting down to eat, practicing table manners while socializing with others, trying a “polite bite” of new variations of food preparation and combinations, and cleaning up after finishing the meal, we work diligently with all of the individuals at the program to ensure that these skills and concepts are practiced at every opportunity and are reinforced each day at the center.

Self Expression Through Creativity

Confucius said “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without,” and we firmly believe this at Dawn to Dusk. Each week, come Thursday afternoon, the energy in the entire center shifts, as the participants await the arrival of Mike Montrey, or Music Mike as we fondly refer to him, to brighten our day with his songs. The participants line up to submit their song requests to him, and everyone takes turns singing a duet with Mike on stage. Participants not singing take turns playing the drums, keyboard, and various percussive instruments we have available on the floor. Singing, dancing, and laughing together during these twice weekly music sessions brings such joy to the participants and the program as a whole, and reinforces the feeling that Dawn to Dusk is not just a day program, but a community of people who want to enjoy the beautiful things in life, such as music, together.

Other Activities:

• Get Creative: In recognition of Black History Month in February, the Get Creative session took an inspirational turn. The group read Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech and reflected on the symbolism of doves to represent peace and unity during a time of great strife and upheaval in our country. Following this activity, the participants worked with their peers and staff and created their own doves and decorated these doves using different materials and media.  Some participants chose to paint, while others chose to color, others chose stamps, and others explored the use of glue to add on tissue paper, beads, gems, feathers, and string. By encouraging and celebrating individual choice and preferences, we continue to strive to celebrate diversity in all aspects of our program all year long.

• Artist Study: In keeping with our attention toward Black History Month and other current events, our budding artists in the Artist Study sessions turned their attention to Ellis Wilson, an African American artist who designed the piece called “Chinese Kites.” The participants had the opportunity to work with a new medium for this project, as well as a multi-step process for project completion. The first step was to draw fish, which could be done free hand, or by using a tracer or stencils.  The instructions specified to draw multiple fish facing different directions, which took some time and focus but was a great exercise in brain yoga and direction. For step two, the participants traced over their pencil drawn fish with our new medium: oil pastels! This created the boundary for the fish and the water. After outlining with the oil pastels, the participants spent time decorating the fish with variations of lines going horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curly, squiggle, chevron, and crisscross using colored and white oil pastel. For the final step, the participants used water color paint to add color and final touches to their festive Chinese Kites which we are proud to display in our Life Skills space! 

• Music Enrichment: In Music Enrichment which is our weekly small group music session, the participants embraced the monthly theme “All You Need is Love,” by working on a body percussion pattern to follow along with The Beatles’ classic hit from 1967! Following a pattern and practicing coordination with different movements and using different body parts to make music yield opportunities for discovery, giggles, and a whole lot of musical magic!

• Beads, Buttons, & More: In February the participants worked on following beading patterns using different colors and shapes to make patterned bracelets. Some individuals chose to use letter beads, working on spelling and sorting to find all the letters they needed and then stringing them onto the thread to spell out their desired words. 

Physical and Mental Health and Wellbeing

We are proud to offer Dawn to Dusk's Health Matters program at our center, which is led by our experienced Nurse Mike. The program focuses on helping individuals improve their overall health and wellness by incorporating full body motion paired with mindful and intentional movements. This month saw the participants following along with Thai Chi and Yoga flows to promote the mind-body connection, as well as compound movements during aerobic exercise including squats, lunges, and boxing movements that work the entire body and large muscle groups.

At the center, we have made Mindful Meditation an integral part of our program. The participants have the opportunity to practice various breathing, visualization, and self-management techniques and methods that help enhance each person’s overall well-being. Listening to guided meditations and imagery scripts focusing on self-esteem and self-efficacy, repetitive self-affirmation prompts, and a calm and safe environment has proven to be such a meaningful engagement option for everyone at the center. These sessions are conducted in small groups in our peaceful Quiet Room that is designed to provide a serene atmosphere, for ultimate attunement and passive focus.

Furthermore, we have a dedicated Reading and Relaxation activity that provides an opportunity for the participants to take a break from their daily routine and indulge in some relaxation time. They can unwind in our comfortable recliner chairs, away from the chaos of the outside world, and enjoy some quiet time to get lost in a story on their own through independent reading, or listening to a friend read a story out loud. Reading is such a wonderful way to practice language and listening skills for everyone.

Other Activities:

• Chair exercise and meditation with Keri which runs at the same time as Health Matters with Mike Smith, RN. This session focuses on breathing, stretching, and building the mind-body connection along with intentional movements and positive affirmations for the participants who engage with a gentle-movement approach to wellness.

• In Community Collaborative sessions, the participants turned their citizenship efforts toward our Dawn to Dusk community. In February the participants compiled a list of items needed for a First Aid mobile kit through research and discussion. Once the items needed for the kits arrived in the mail, the participants spent time organizing the band aids, gauze, medical tape, sanitizer swabs, and other supplies to create our Dawn to Dusk Community First Aid Kits that will now travel with the group on community outings each week! The groups are also responsible for checking their kits with the checklist made by the participants and ensuring that supplies are replaced if any are used on an outing. 

• In February we continued our volunteer work with the Franklin Food Bank by packing paper bags with non-perishable food items and canned goods, as well as adding decorative touches to the bags for the Valentine’s Day holiday coming up in February. We will be dropping the packed bags off at the Food Bank in February and we hope that our personal touches and decorations can help bring a smile to the faces of the Food Bank shoppers.

Leisure and Recreation

At Dawn to Dusk, we recognize that the world is ever changing, and that our education and competencies in knowledge and skills is influenced by the world around us, and can be influential upon the world around us as well. We also know that all learning does not just happen in a classroom, and that involvement in play as well as the arts leads to greater competency and learning for people of all ages. For this reason, we include downtime and recreation time within our daily schedule to ensure that the participants get a break from their busy schedule of activities, and have ample opportunities to put into practice the communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creative innovation, and character building skills that we work with them on during the skill building sessions. Our recreation room provides the opportunity for the participants to kick back, relax, and engage together in fun activities that passively reinforce so many of the skills we build each day. From puzzles and mazes to basketball and arcade games to ping-pong and air hockey, as well as board games and blocks, there are so many options for the participants to exercise leisure-based choice making and collaboration with peers and staff. Making time for play in our busy schedules is so important at every age, and actually provides passive reinforcement of many social and life skills. When was the last time you made time for play?

Other Activities:

• In February, the Dawn to Dusk Book Club explored Black History Month through our literary selections. The groups read The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and Oge Mora, and Swish!: The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters by Suzanne Slade and Don Tate. Each of these reads was followed by discussion that reminded everyone that what we look like does not and should not dictate what we are able to do and be, and that it is our mindset and character that make us who we are. 

• In our Nature Club, participants explored the legacy of George Washington Carver, affectionately known as the “peanut man.” They delved into his groundbreaking research, including the development of a very popular food:peanut butter! They also learned about his research leading to innovative methods to improve plant health and production. This sparked engaging discussions on how we all can contribute to environmental conservation. This will be a lesson theme that we revisit in March, as we look to begin preparing our garden for the planting season!

• In our STEM curriculum, the participants focused on the evolution of the three-way traffic light, highlighting Garrett Morgan's important role in its development and implementation. His invention has significantly improved societal safety and traffic efficiency, showcasing the impact of technological advancements on our daily lives and reinforcing the importance of community safety measures that we continue to practice today.

Community Corner

We are pleased to share that the participants had a wonderful time venturing out into the community in February, remaining indoors while we wait for spring to arrive. They visited some of our favorite local spots, including the Jamesburg Library, Knob Hill Country Lanes, and Walmart. During these outings, our program focused on building social skills such as understanding and respecting personal space, communicating appropriately with each other, staff, and community members, and demonstrating good manners and community safety skills. We are thrilled to see our participants develop and grow while having fun out in the community!

Last month, the participants enjoyed lunch outings at various local eateries including Popeyes, Taco Bell, Confectionately Yours, and Panera Bread. These outings provide a fun way for participants to practice important life skills such as patience, manners, and money management while interacting with members of the community and enjoying a tasty meal while supporting local businesses. The participants also continue to review the menus and prepare their orders for lunch ahead of going out, which has helped to make the process smoother overall, and seems to have instilled a sense of ownership in many of the participants as they will opt to complete the preparation task as independently as possible, and this independence as grown over the last few months. We are proud of how our participants have been putting these skills into practice and building positive relationships with the staff at each restaurant.

If you have any questions or suggestions about the Day Program, please contact Emily at: emily@dawntoduskwellbeing.com          

Photo Gallery

Enjoy some special moments and smiles in our photo gallery here.