OMAHA, Neb. (KTMV) — Rescue, rebuild, redeem and restore. That's the motto for the Open Door Mission.
And to help with that mission, they are building a new art therapy studio for adults and children.
"I am so excited, we have been wanting this for so long," said Candace Gregory, CEO and President of Open Door Mission.
Art therapy has been proven to help in the healing process, and now people at Open Door Mission will have that opportunity to assist them on their road to recovery.
"This was an office, we took out all of the furniture, cut a whole in the wall, giving the illusion of a window, and this is where we will put the easels," Gregory explained.
Working with hands can be therapeutic, so they will have the opportunity to draw, paint, color, sculpt as well as build collages and scrapbooking.
"Amazingly, you can interpret a lot from people's expressions, and we ultimately want to see people address their issues that have contributed to them being homeless," Gregory said. "And they can actually have healing and move back into our community and be successful in living."
Despite the pandemic, donations to make this art therapy studio happen have not been affected.
"There are a lot of gifted people in our community in the music and art field, and they support this endeavor," Gregory said. "They say, 'Thank you for doing this and we look forward to volunteering in the endeavor.'"
Open Door Mission also helps people fighting drug and alcohol addiction.
They will offer group as well as individual art therapy sessions.
Although they have the money for the remodel, they do still need art supply donations.
Items needed:
Easels for floor and table
Acrylic paint
Watercolor paint
Bristel paint brushes
Silk paint brushes
Canvas
Oil pastels
Embroidery hoops
Aprons (adult and children)
Scissors (adult and children)
Markers
Colored pencils
Stencils
Play doh
Play doh toys
Clay
Open Door Mission
2828 N. 23rd St.
East Omaha, NE 68110
(402) 422-1111
