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UPARC (The Upper Pinellas Association for
Retarded Citizens) has received a grant from the Young
Lawyer’s Division of the Clearwater Bar Association to fund
an innovative drum therapy program at UPARC’s Tarpon Center.
Representatives of the Young Lawyer’s group will present a
set of drums and other percussion instruments to the Tarpon Center
at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 4.
This program , The Rhythmic Arts Project
(TRAP), has been in place for several months at UPARC’s Long
Center Campus where volunteers come in once a week to work with the
clients on various exercises using drums and other percussion
instruments.
The program is designed to help clients learn to
follow direction, to teach letters, numbers, counting, shapes, and
colors. The UPARC clients who have been participating in the
program have shown progress in these areas. Some clients are
speaking more, others have learned to spell their names and their
phone numbers. Many clients have become more outgoing, even taking
turns leading the group during “jam sessions.”
“I have seen the most amazing
breakthroughs,” said Polly Stannard, who volunteers on
Wednesdays at the UPARC’s Long Center campus. “People
are learning and growing through this creative outlet. It is a
wonderful experience and each week I see something new. Someone
will join the group who never wanted to take part, or someone will
lead the group who was always too shy to do so before.”
“We have been so impressed with the
TRAP program,” added Deborah Simeone, UPARC’s Volunteer
Coordinator. “and we are extremely grateful to the Young
Lawyer’s Division of the Clearwater Bar Association for their
generosity in helping us to bring this opportunity to even more of
our clients. Music is very therapeutic and, through this grant, the
Young Lawyer’s are giving more than money. They are giving
the gift of music and the gift of new opportunities of expression
to the people served at the Tarpon Center.”
Upper Pinellas Association For Retarded
Citizens Foundation is located at 1501 N. Belcher Rd., Suite 244,
Clearwater. Call 727-797-8712 or visit uparcfoundation.org
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