Art & Activity Resource Rescue

storres4365 — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 23:57:54 +0000

Activity Program Resource Awards

Every year, Helpertunity collects recreation resources, craft supplies, and technology items for residents in care facilities and shelters. These items are carefully packaged into "Activity Kits" and are distributed to Activity Professionals attending continuing education seminars, retreats, and directly to Care-Facility Activities Staffs by a personal visit from Helpertunity.

Helpertunity Prize Table shown loaded with Activity Resources Baskets ready to give away to Nursing Home Recreation Services Professionals - photo from Activity Professional's Educational Retreat in 2014.

By packaging and distributing items in this manner, Helpertunity raises the odds that these brand new and gently used goods will be properly cared for, and used by a trained professional, to improve the quality of life for their elderly, disabled, or homeless shelter clients.

Activity Director wins a custom T-shirt Printing Kit from Helpertunity

Often the items provided exceed the typical facility resource budget, and are far beyond the personal financial means of the clients it will be shared within a facility activity or adaptive-class setting.

A Nursing Home Activity Director wins a basket of paintable ceramics for use in craft class with her art participants

An activity Director wins and inflatable globe to use in games with her Care Facility Residents

Often the items do more than simply fill a few hours of time for the clients. Many time's the items are re-usable, or may be enjoyed, and then incorporated into a facility's annual event decor, or painted/crafted and sold to raise donation funds for additional resources at the facility where they were given.

An Activity Director wins a paitable ceramic Christmas Village to use with her arts and crafts participants

Helpertunity's Creative Volunteers have even used their Gift-Resources to hand-make trinkets to give as rewards and educational incentives to school children and pediatric patients. And, over the years; volunteer-crafted items are distributed through: A Gift for Teaching, The Health Care Center for the Homeless, The Coalition Women's Shelter, Loaves & Fishes, the Hope Community Center of Apopka, and Barberville Pioneer & Settlement & Heritage Education Center. Each of these high-impact charities is located in Central Florida.

Alphabet Beads are an excellent resource for Elder and Memory Care Facility Craft Activity Programs

In addition to crafts and game equipment, the activity kits and resource baskets have included "kitchenless-cooking" appliances, "silly science" senior workshop experiments, software, and gently used technology tools.

Chemistry and Physics Kits and other Maker Themed Activity Supplies are a fun alternative to crafts for our Retired Rocket Scientists

Useful Technology Resources are displayed to be won by Nursing Home Activity Directors for use with their Care Facility Residents

In addition to dropping off resources directly at Ender Care Facilities during the charity's travels; by presenting the resources at a low-cost gathering, which attracts Activity Professionals from around the State, Helpertunity is able to eliminate the cost of packing and shipping of these useful items, thus providing greater funding for additional resources.

Activity Professional wins a Basket of Paintable Ceramic Vases for use in her Eldercare Facility Crafts Classes

The project also helps to reduce the tendency for Activity Professionals to purchase activity supplies, for their residents, out of their own limited paychecks.

An Activity Director wins a complete Felt Crafting Class Supply Set for use with her Nursing Home Patients in Sewing Club

Often the facility clients are as anxious and excited to see; "what their Activity Professional is bringing them back from the conference..." as their Activity Professional is in having their name drawn for the item they most needed. Professionals who are unable to attend the conference are also given the chance to receive resources; by participating in periodic Activity supply Give-Away Drawings on Helpertunity's Facebook page.

Computer programs on CDs are still appreciated and used in older model computers that have been donated to some disadvantaged disabled patients

To be a part of the Activity Resource Awards & Prize Basket Collection & Distribution Efforts:

Please contact Helpertunity directly if you feel you may have items that would be useful to contribute to the distribution event.

To provide funding for the careful selection and purchase of new and useful items, please be sure that your donation to Helpertunity is marked with "Activity Resource Supply Prizes" on the memo line.

storres4365 Thu, 02/09/2023 - 18:57

Project Type

Advocacy/Awareness

Creative Expressive

Education

Elective Education Programs

Target Population

Busy Bags & Ditty Kit Packers

storres4365 — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 00:03:07 +0000

Busy Bags & Ditty Kit Packers

With the help of sewing volunteers; elders can now keep busy with independent pursuits... because they can carry the tools they need in their walker & wheelchair "Busy Bags"

As facility clients forego carrying wallets, keys, briefcases, and purses, they often also lose a tendency that people have; to bring along items of interest to use during their daily free time. In facilities, many elders use walkers and wheelchairs to assist with "transportation" but the unique bags that could store their useful belongings, hands-free, are not nearly as easy to find:

Volunteers who enjoy sewing, and gift givers who enjoy collecting recreational items, are working together this year to spread Helpertunity's "Busy Bag" advocacy message:

No elderly client should be left sitting in the nursing-home hallway... without access to something to do to help them pass the time! That is why church groups and sewing guilds across Florida have been gathering to cut and sew Busy Bags by the dozens since 2017!

.... and that includes sewing and embellishing Busy Bags for Alzheimer's Patients, who can enjoy the sensory-stimulation of customized "Fidget Bags / Fidget Aprons / and Fidget Pillow Covers" too!

Busy Bags are also a wonderful bed-rail caddie, and are a great make-one/share-one sewing project for scouts troops, crafty campers, and quilt-retreat attendees.

Cash contributions and donations of the following resources are needed to support this project through Helpertunity:

Sewing Volunteers & Sewing Machines

Scrap Material / Thread / Buttons

Zippers / Velcro / Ribbon / Lace

And Busy-Bag Filling:

New Puzzle Books & Click-Pens

Grown-Up Coloring Books & Markers

Silk Flowers & Stringing Beads / Pearls

Handheld Puzzles & Fidget Games

Our Busy Bags Kit Packing Team Volunteering at the Helpertunity Home-Office in early 2020.

Print the flyer and sewing instructions posted below and get a "Busy Bag & Ditty Kit Packers" volunteer group started in your area:

Helpertunity Printable Busy Bag sewing Instructions