Connecting Point of Park Cities (CPPC) celebrated its grand opening Sunday afternoon and invited the community to tour the facility, meet the staff and see firsthand the results of the program.
CPPC is a nonprofit day habilitation program for adults with disabilities. It opened its door on June 24 in Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), located at 4711 Westside Dr. at the edge of Highland Park.
For the grand opening, CPPC staff and board turned Central’s fellowship hall into a bright and cheerful setting of yellow, blue and green— the program’s colors. Beautiful flower arrangements and gourmet food trays topped the tables. Guests had the opportunity to visit with staff and learn more about the project, view artwork and support the program through raffle and t-shirt sales.
A typical day at CPPC begins with reviewing the latest current events, discussing the day’s agenda and the weather. The participants, known as “teammates,” arrive and sign in, followed by a review of the current date, time and a recap of what was learned the day before. Then it’s “news 2 you”—a discussion of a news story or current event.
Next is 45 minutes of exercise designed to meet the individual needs of each teammate.
Following exercise is a “learning life skills” class. Tasks will include lessons in telling time, hanging or folding clothes, making snacks and other household skills needed to live an independent life.
After lunch, classroom sessions emphasize social skills and safety.
“We have even turned our parking lot into a fake intersection practicing our pedestrian safety skills,” Program Executive Jamie Reynolds said.
The afternoon arts and crafts class has produced some beautiful projects by this talented group of teammates as displayed at the open house.
Before heading home in the afternoon, the teammates complete a chore such as vacuuming, taking out the trash, erasing the chalkboard, etc.
“We are beyond thankful for Central Christian Church and our partnership with them to provide this service in the community,” Reynolds said.
Central Christian Church is in turn thankful for PCCP. For Central members, it is a blessing to run in to one of the teammates during the day and share a conversation.
Central’s mission is to be the loving hands of Christ to neighbors near and far, striving to live that mission by having community space on its property for Acers Community Garden, Central Dog Park, a soccer field used by the YMCA for children and youth and now its newest family member, Park Cities Connecting Point.