OCCTAC News - November 2020
A huge OCCTAC thank you to Union Bank for the $10,000 contribution for Therapeutic Arts and Workforce Development programs for youth with disabilities!
Thanksgiving Food Distribution
Made possible by Union Bank & OCCTAC Board Member Rossina GallegosNovember 20th, 2020
OCCTAC is grateful to partner with Union Bank and be there for the community during this time of need. Thanks to the generosity of Union Bank, we were able to serve nearly 100 Thanksgiving meals and gift cards to our families! The message this gives goes beyond food. It is a message of hope and love while coming together to serve others.
We very much appreciate your kindness and generosity, especially during this difficult time!
OCCTAC's Giving Tuesday
Engage 360 Is Top of the Class!
We sat down with OCCTAC’S Engage 360 Santa Ana Unified School District Coordinator, Mark Dimilanta for a one-on-one interview about the challenges and the joys of teaching students virtually this year:
“The start of the 2020-21 school year presented with challenges due to the pandemic, and nobody knew what to expect. The school district decided not to go into a hybrid form of learning like other school districts and instead stay in full virtual learning mode. The families didn’t know what Engage 360 After School Enrichment would look like for the 2020-21 school year, so they didn’t enroll. It was a rude awakening. So what did we do? We all mobilized to get the word out, and by round two (of enrollment) OCCTAC rebounded. We delivered individual kits to children at their home schools that enrolled and missed the distribution dates this year due to the pandemic. We went from 50 enrollees to 330-- zero to hero! Because of the strength of our teachers and how they were able to engage with the students and create experiences with them, rotation 2 was a different story. We now have 418 students this session.
I want to thank my team for the experiences they gave their students and for their absolute dedication. I’m very proud that we gave them enrichment that they needed to support their social-emotional development, and I just couldn’t be any more proud of what OCCTAC does for this community. I think there was a void and we filled it. I’m happy that these families put their trust in us. I’m happy that they love our teachers. I’m happy that the kids choose us time and time again. Because of the parents’ desire for enhanced education for their children, the school district’s determination to provide programs for the students, and our dedicated teaching staff who worked hard to get those art kits distributed, what could’ve been another thing lost to the pandemic was a success.”
Mental Wellness Workshops December 2020
December 11th, 2020
Para dudas o preguntas escriba a Axel@occtac.org
Bienestar emocional para las familias (en espanol)
12/11/2020 @ 9:00 a.m.
Registro:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIsf-6uqDkiH9fk6zeEk7yK3KdI-a2hlfJr
December 18th, 2020
Para dudas o preguntas escriba a Axel@occtac.org
Bienestar emocional para las familias
12/18/2020 - 5:00 p.m.
Registro:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIsdu2uqD0oEtLfhJphst6UeKTx9wg959JT
The BLICK Give & Get Event
Benefiting OCCTAC
You Can Help OCCTAC Today!
Become a Donor
Did you know that when you donate, you are improving your own health as well? A study by the University of Oregon found that donating activates the pleasure center in your brain. Voluntary donations are especially pleasurable and improve your happiness, joy, and contentment! OCCTAC is forever grateful to our Supporters and Community Partners! Their donations and support continue to help our Arts Center grow and bring opportunities to our families and community, and you can be part of this as well! Please help OCCTAC by sharing our Social Media links, liking our page, sharing our events and donating to our center! Find out how by clicking on the link below: www.occtac.org/donate
You can help OCCTAC today by donating money, choosing to donate on a recurring basis, or by designating “Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center” as your charity when purchasing through Amazon via their Amazon Smile program at www.smile.amazon.com. Here are the simple steps to designate OCCTAC as your charitable organization to receive a portion of the purchase price:
On your first visit to AmazonSmile smile.amazon.com, you need to select “Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts” to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.
If you already use Amazon Smile for another charity, you can change your charity to "Orange County Therapeutic Arts" on your Amazon Smile home page.
We appreciate you and your continued support of OCCTAC’s mission to provide innovative, artistic, educational and therapeutic programs that inspire and transform children, at-risk youth, adults and their families to fulfill their highest potential.
