Wednesday, September 29, 2010

What's new at Merrimack Hall?

It's been a busy summer for us here at the 'Mack! So what have we been up to? It's already almost October, yikes! Read on for a summer roundup of our activities.



Camp Merrimack 2010
This year, we rolled out two weeks of twice-a-day sessions of Camp Merrimack. In total, we had 60 students attend the workshops, double the attendance from 2009! We are so proud of each and every student. Camp Merrimack is open to children with special needs both physical and emotional, including Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, autism, ADHD and more. Many of these students participate in our Dance Your Dreams! program as well.




Project UP
This summer marked a major milestone for us: the launch of our newest piece of the Johnny Stallings Arts Program, Project UP. Project UP is a performing company for teens with developmental disabilities including Down syndrome. Our initial company of 8 students began the program at a July summer intensive, where they learned performance numbers from Wicked, The Wiz and The Wizard of Oz. Project UP will continue during the 2010-11 school year. We'll keep you posted when our wonderful students have their next performance!



The Mixer 2010
We held our first-ever fundraiser on Friday, August 21 -- a groovy party to celebrate the Johnny Stallings Arts Program for children with special needs. Thanks to all you partygoers and donors, we raised over $32,000 for the program! The event was an incredible success, and we couldn't have done it without you. Missed The Mixer? Don't worry, it will be an annual event! Plus, you can check out event photos on our Facebook page.