It was 'Comin' Up Christmastime'!

Terry C. (Downs Syndrome) Margaret K. Melanie V.(Downs Syndrome) and Miguel A.(Downs Syndrome)  play the bells.

Margaret K, Chris F.(Williams Syndrome)  Jason R. and Lori R.(Williams Syndrome) dance with snow branches.

Beautiful Crystal S.(Downs Syndrome)  in a graceful dance.

Melanie V.  Marvin C. Frank L. Tanette T. and Darren C. (all with Downs Syndrome) dance and play in the 'inflatable band'.

Fred M. greets the audience in front of Hope U's choir and drama.

Margaret K. Mikki D. Dena S. (CP) April R. (Hydroencephally)  and Cathy A. (PKU) sing with the choir.

Chris F.(Williams Syndrome)  Jim L.(Autism)  Jason R. Tom V. (Fragile X) and Paul K.(Autism) sing with the choir.

'Angels' by student Miguel A.(Downs Syndrome) hung over the stage.

The students of Hope University performed beautifully at their annual Holiday program titled 'Comin' Up Christmastime'.  There was square dancing and sign language, poetry, bells and so much more.  Every student had a part in this beautifully performed show.  There are DVD's of the show available if you would like one, please call the school (714) 778-4440 to get your copy.  The students did an amazing job and fun was had by all.  We had our famous boutique of handmade items produced by the students in the lobby of the theater and sales were brisk.  The talent shown by this population is inspiring and must be seen to be believed.
Some of the highlights of the show were the bell choir playing traditional holiday music.  The dance class performing a magical snow scene and the drama classes wonderful addition of holiday humor!  If you would be interested in attending this years (2011) show or any other of our performances, please call us for more information.

At The Laundromat

Dena (Cerebral Palsy)  loads the washer.

Mikki  takes clean laundry out of the washer.

Mikki gets ready to add wet laundry to the dryer.

Margaret  makes good use of her time by knitting while the laundry washes.

Life skills class takes the dirty laundry to the laundromat.  We go every Thursday to wash our clean up towels. We also launder some of our performance outfits and bell table covers.  The laundromat  is nearby and a great experience for the students to learn how to wash clothes, operate the washers and dryers as well as navigate in a a public facility.  Life skills are often overlooked with this population and with classes like this they can feel empowered and confident that they know how to take care of different aspects of their own care.  They learn how to set the washer, measure detergent, load the washer and use the 'money card' to activate the machine.  Then, after the washer is finished they unload it and move the wet laundry to the dryers where they reload the laundry into the dryer and set it to dry.  Lastly they unload the dryer and take the clean laundry to the tables, fold it and pack it to go back to Hope.  While learning how to do laundry they also must navigate the laundromat space and be appropriate with the other patrons using the facility.  The students are enjoying the laundromat experience, feeling more independent and being out in the community.