Patchwork’s Arts & Smarts Children’s Program is just a few days into our spring semester, but already good things are happening. Our participants have begun some new art projects. For one, they are learning about radial geometry, color mixing, and graphic design by drawing a pattern using their initials and duplicating that pattern to create […]
It’s the time of year to slow down, to reflect, to visit with friends and family, and to enjoy the things we love. At Patchwork, our building will be quiet for the next week and a half so that our staff and volunteers can do just that. This is also the time of year for […]
Christmas began at Patchwork on the last Thursday of November when we held our annual Arts & Smarts Christmas Party. Our main room was filled with children, parents, and volunteers. There were special Christmas activities including fancy origami trees created with a visiting artist and Christmas carols sung with our friends from Aldersgate United Methodist […]
Six of our current Arts & Smarts after school participants are second generation “Patchwork kids.” Their families know that they will be supported and cared for as individuals. Their families know this because they have experienced it themselves. We are part of their community. One man lives in a house near Patchwork. He’s very tall […]
“Thanks for talking to me. If the two of us were someplace else, we wouldn’t be talking. You probably wouldn’t notice me. I’m kind of invisible.” The man and Jane Vickers had been enjoying a conversation as he sat in the Patchwork kitchen window supervising the morning coffee service and Jane worked on children’s program […]
So far, Patchwork’s Summer Arts & Smarts children’s activities have been a joy. This past week was the first of two Bike Weeks for youth ages 10 and up. These Bike Weeks are being held in collaboration with the volunteers in Patchwork’s Bike Shop and the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library’s Year of Hip Hop project. Each […]
Patchwork’s neighborhood hospitality is one thing that makes us unique. We are open to the public most mornings, Monday through Thursday. People come inside for coffee, to visit with friends, to connect with resources that they need, to take a shower, or to get a little something to eat. Staff, volunteers, and guests mingle and […]
When you think about the institutions that you need to have to make a healthy neighborhood, you might think of the fire department or a police station. Maybe a park. Maybe a school, a grocery store, a bank, or a library. Maybe a restaurant or two. I would suggest that nestled in your ideal little […]
This week, a man stopped in Patchwork’s main office. “I need to tell you what I think about this place,” he began. “It’s not just about what you do here. It’s about your hearts. I’m retired. I come from across town to read my books here and drink coffee. It’s a comfortable place. Thanks for […]
There is a hallway of old Patchwork photos outside my office, and I always enjoy hearing our guests’ reactions to them. Among the photos are images of Patchwork children’s program participants from the 1980’s, the 1990’s and the 2010’s. This year, I’ve enjoyed overhearing one girl point out the photo of her mother to every […]