New Community Support Groups Flourish

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S ACTIVITY GROUPS TO HELP OUR CLIENTS THRIVE

This past October, the Community Support department put our heads together to try and come up with some creative ways to create more community and peer interaction. It was decided to form a Men's group. This group would include one outstanding staff and several male clients. We were excited when Chacco Hernedez quickly volunteered to head up the group.

Starting in November, 3 evenings a week, Chacco gathers up 4 of the 6 clients in the Men’s group and takes them out to enjoy each other’s company and to participate in activities in the community. They have been spotted having fun at the Rogers bowling alley, Fast Lanes, Musicworks, Guitar Center, local flea markets, Game Exchange, Crystal Bridges, local restaurants and the list goes on and on.

Not only are they out there having fun, they are also helping in the community. They volunteer around town helping to do yard work and this holiday season they have put up and later cleaned up Christmas decorations.

The holiday season has been an enjoyable time for both our Men’s and Women’s groups. Our clients have enjoyed all the local Christmas activities, like the Christmas train and Lights of the Ozarks.

Chacco's inspired leadership and his love of music helped discover that several of the members of the Men’s group have latent musical abilities. Chacco has taken this opportunity and run with it and is now teaching the group members how to play various musical instruments! There is talk of them forming a band! In the future we hope to add other learning activities to their repertoire like meal planning and possibly a language class.

This Men's group has been a rousing success. Every client involved has raved about how much fun they have and how they look forward to their evenings with Chacco and the gang.