Submitted. For countless families in Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley, it’s a challenge on weekends to find free hands-on activities that are fun, creative and educational and that they can engage in together.
Prospera Credit Union and The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford not only recognize the need for playful family time, they continue to do something about it. Prospera has stepped forward to renew their commitment to support the highly popular Sunday Family Arts program at The Reach for the next two years.
“We’ve had overwhelming success with our free Sunday Family Arts; without fail, each session, generally hosted twice a month, is at capacity,” says The Reach’s education coordinator, Jennifer Pride. “This clearly demonstrates the need within the community for such a program. We have observed visible development in families who regularly participate and have permission to get messy. Their ability to constructively view our exceptional exhibitions, then apply new design skills to related art and heritage projects, improves constantly and is truly an amazing experience.”
“Supporting young families and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate is very important to us at Prospera and we’re proud of the role we play in Abbotsford,” says the credit union’s President and CEO, Bruce Howell. “The Reach Gallery Museum is a unique facility with programs designed to educate, entertain and engage and we believe it plays a vital role in keeping our community strong.”
Business and families understand that engaging children in the arts stimulates their curiosity, sharpens their senses and strengthens their academic learning; that it fosters innovation and helps develop critical thinking. Not everyone who engages in art or music becomes a professional artist; however, children will apply these skills to their future workplace and go on to be productive and creative employees.
Prospera’s corporate community partnership with The Reach includes Sunday Family Arts since 2012 and sponsorship of the Children’s Discovery Centre, a friendly creative space that launched in April 2013, where kids with parents or caregivers immerse themselves in hands-on educational activity kits.
The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford is located at 32388 Veterans Way. For more information on programming at The Reach visit www.thereach.ca