Caring business ensures creative family time continues at The Reach in 2015
Submitted. For many families in Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley, one of the highlights of their week is to gather around an artistic station and learn how to create an innovative arts or heritage keepsake—without having to worry about the cost. The folks at Prospera Credit Union and The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford recognized the need for complimentary and meaningful family play time three years ago and that’s how Sunday Family Arts at The Reach began. Both organizations have watched these free and fun activities grow and given the value the engaging inter-generational learning opportunities provide, Prospera has once again renewed its support of this popular program.
Pictured: kids enjoying crafts at The Reach
“We believe Sunday Family Arts has made such visible inroads in our community because it is so much more than drawing or cutting,” says The Reach’s education programmer, Anna Williams. “We start by touring families through our current exhibitions, then we take them to the studio for a hands-on activity. Their ability to constructively view our exhibitions and translate that new knowledge into what is often a two or three-dimensional keepsake, while getting their fingers messy, is a truly amazing experience.” Some of the pieces created in the past year include: Chinese rattle drums, 3-D family trees, faux Ukrainian decorative eggs, brilliant Christmas cards, paper beads, and a build your own creature.
“As a community, it’s important for us to understand just how much arts and heritage stimulate children’s curiosity while also sharpening their senses and developing their critical thinking and decision making skills,” says Prospera Credit Union’s President and CEO, Bruce Howell. “These are all skills that bode well for building a productive and creative workforce, not to mention a future generation of engaged community leaders.”
The multidisciplinary family arts projects and eager participation at The Reach extends far beyond the Sunday activities. They spill over into other Reach children’s programs and family events, its on-site Children’s Learn Discover Create Centre and a variety of inclusive family events offered around Abbotsford.
While Prospera sponsors Sunday Family Arts bi-weekly at The Reach, the Loyal Protestant Association funds the creative supplies for these and other activities. The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford is located at 32388 Veterans Way. For more information on programming visit: www.thereach.ca.