A Place for People Experiencing Disabilities to Engage, Grow, and Have Fun
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Gatheringplace participants making dog biscuits and friends. Photo by Scott France [/caption]
News by Scott France
In a community rich with organizations that serve various needs, Gatheringplace stands out for its longevity, success in serving those in great need, and a feel-good vibe. Gatheringplace serves adults with disabilities to “turn challenges into opportunities in art, carpentry, culinary, dog biscuits, mechanics, movement, music, sign language and community,” as its 31st annual wall calendar says.
The good vibes are bouncing off the walls at a recent dog biscuit-making session at the Gatheringplace arts and crafts space at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Almost two dozen Gatheringplace participants, as well as volunteers, and a few paid staff are here for several hours of making dog biscuits, shimmying to the background music, joking around, and in at least one too-much-of-a-good-vibe moment, a kiss exchanged between two young adults working together.
“That’s a no-no,” Linda Ferris, Gatheringplace’s founder, said. “It’ll make others jealous.”
Learning to get along with others, including appropriate behavior, is one of many valuable skills that these adults learn in their Gatheringplace activities.
Linda Ferris started Gatheringplace in 1994 with the simple ambition to teach important life and personal development skills to her daughter, Megan, a recent high school graduate with severe developmental delays, as well as to three other young adults. Linda rented out the Port Townsend Recreation Center, corralled some volunteers, and the endeavor began building a life and skills building program that she couldn’t find locally or in Seattle, from where she, Megan and her husband had moved in 1994.
Since that grass-rootsy beginning, Gatheringplace has served roughly 300 adults with disabilities. “I’m so thankful that so many people have supported us over the years,” Ferris said.
Judy has been coming to Gatheringplace for five years. “ I make dough, cut biscuits, cook, and do sign language,” Judy said. “We paint pictures, and I made the sun.”
“The dog bakery is a job training program in which participants learn to sit, focus on tasks and move between tasks, and learn to be social,” Farris said. The biscuits are healthy, and they provide an income source through sales to local food and pet stores that support Gatheringplace.
”In each class, we try to build skills,” Ferris said. “Someone (either a staff person or volunteer) is always there so they don’t get discouraged. They make salads and bread. They chop, measure, and sometimes they take recipes home to work on. We emphasize healthy meals.”
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Photo by Scott France [/caption]
Michael likes the peace and quiet that he finds at Gatheringplace, and adds that “I’ve made lots of friends and I get along with everybody.” He then encourages this reporter to speak to one of the participants he sees across the room.
“Working here is so much fun. I can’t believe I get paid to do this,” says Kris Strand, lead program instructor, who has worked with the gathering place since 2006. “I love the population. Everyone has a different need and ability, and you have to think differently and meet them where they are. I know I’m making a difference and they’re making a difference for me.”
Gatheringplace provides learning opportunities for participants outside the structured class environment, through what are called community integration opportunities. “We are going to laughter club later,” Strand said. Recently, participants went to an art workshop with
One measure of participants’ success is “seeing them evolve and grow,” Lisa Doray said. Doray has been working at Gatheringplace on and off for 25 years, and applied her art therapy degree to refine the organization’s art program. Participants also take art classes in which they create art that adorns the annual Gatheringplace wall calendar, the highest income source for the organization.
“When somebody breaks out of their way of thinking and tries something new, that’s success,” Doray said. “We see them change their identity and give themselves a life that supports that identity. A key is in learning how to interact with people in the community.”
When participant Devry was told that some participants names would be appear online, she said, “I like being famous and wearing fancy clothes. I like dancing of any kind. I’m good at biscuit design, packaging, and hip-hop,” Devry said.
A primary aim of Gatheringplace’s mission and activities is to instill knowledge and skills that participants can apply elsewhere in their lives to the extent that their capabilities might allow.
Camille says “ I walk to Gatheringplace on Mondays Tuesdays on Fridays and then walk to work on Wednesdays and Thursdays,”
Strands mentions that one young man who regularly attended classes and activity sessions for several months without speaking or participating, has begun speaking, and is more actively involved in activities and interacting with others, both within the program and outside it.
Ferris says that participants range in age from 18 to 65, but there is no upper age limit. Some participants are referred by Port Townsend and Chimacum high schools upon their graduation as part of an Individual Education Plan designed by parents and teachers to transition students into their next phase of life.
Gatheringplace now has 17 participants, plus five students from Port Townsend High School who are supported financially by Sunrise Rotary. Chimacum High School students frequently participate in the program. Both Chimacum and Port Townsend school districts provide partial financial support. Ferris said that only four or five of the 17 adult participants have the ability to pay any tuition.
Gatheringplace is now conducting a fundraising campaign to build its first permanent facility. It has acquired a piece of land near the Port Townsend Goodwill, and has architectural drawings for a structure that would enable a space for classes and activities as well as for a commercial, three-sink kitchen that would meet code for its bakery and food products. A grant of $450,000 will supply a significant chunk of the funding necessary to build the structure. The grant came from the Dan Thompson Memorial Fund, which the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council administers. Supporting donations may be given through the organization’s website listed at the end of this article.
”We’d like to hire more staff,” Ferris said. She said that she appreciates all donations, including the financial support that the organization has received from service organizations like the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs.
For more information about Gatheringplace, see its website: https://www.gppt.org
