Winter 2019, Edition 13
Letter from the President
Dearest Co-Workers,
We are able to “Reach to Restore” because you have chosen to be involved in the work of ARM of Care. Thank you for finding practical and creative ways of supporting and partnering with us. This year we have worked with Love Never Fails, Community Violence Solutions, Juvenile Hall in Martinez, Independent Living Skills Program, Freedom House, Without Permission, Pillars of Hope, Ruby’s Place, and Chords for Progression. We get to watch the youth shift their position, posture, attitude and affect – sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. Whether it is in an hour movement and mindfulness class, a two hour creative craft project, or a Bay Area sporting event – transformation happens. They are making new memories. Positive ones. Which are replacing difficult ones. The positive memories build on each other. And then over time they independently engage in doing them on their own. They think differently about themselves and their relationships. They know how to help themselves. They move and walk through life differently. They have tools to take care of themselves. Feeling habitually helpless is the most common denominator of those who have experienced trauma. ARMof Care programs, whether a distraction from their regular routine or a meaningful pursuit, show them that they have creative ways to bring fulfillment to their own lives. For example, one of the girls at juvenile hall has been practicing a coordination exercise she learned in class and she reported to the class that “it helped her head not feel so jittery.” We witness them telling their stories through a variety of materials such as blue jeans, fabrics, buttons, ribbons, and beads and discovering things about their past, present and future where they can inspire themselves. We witness them feeling refreshed dancing out of the Holiday Ballet in San Francisco, the first show they had ever attended. Our hope is that they become their own greatest resource. Just giving them a safe space to be themselves, free of rules or expectations, enables them to come alive and heal the places that trauma has been stored in their bodies. You have given all you could and more. These are your children and you have taken them into your lives through your generosity and kindness. We are grateful to our grantors (In-N-Out, Lowell Berry, Noll and Share the Spirit), corporations (Genentech, PG&E, and Shell) and you and your families. Your resources give those we serve the internal resources they need to improve their lives. Your giving puts strength in our spine and shoulders so we can reach out our arms with care and tenderness where there is pain or harshness. May your investment bring meaning and positive memories to your 2019. With care,
–AMY
Art, Recreation and Movement
We encourage those we serve to keep checking in with their feelings and to keep finding ways to move their bodies to find healing and relief.
One of our most popular programs is “Body Mapping”. It is one in which the girls fill in the outline of a body with drawing, words, stickers or other images to depict what and how they are feeling. This exercise is powerful because they learn not only that their body belongs to them, but that they have the inner resources to cope with what is happening inside of them.
This girl filled her map in before and after an hour long movement session. The “Me Now” picture is pre-movement and the “Me Later” is post-movement. She chose her own colors and what each represented. By looking at her art work, we notice that she realized how much she could change how she felt inside. She went from wondering why she was in the situation she was in to finding relief from her angst.
Save the Date for our annual Reach to RestoreEvent Sunday, September 8th, 2019. Hat Theme again...so start thinking about your hat!
– Anyone interested in helping with the event, please contact lise@armofcare.net. Looking for team leaders in the following areas: Planning, Marketing, Sponsorship, Silent Auction donations, Decorations, and Concierge.Planning will begin in February for the September 8th event. – In 2018 ARM of Care served eight agencies and delivered 205 program hours with more than 550 participants. We love our monthly donors and if you are interested in joining the monthly donor group, please email lise@armofcare.net and she will email the information OR go right to the ARM of Care website under join us, & select the Contribute button. Input the amount and select the box next to monthly. That’s all there is to it!
