Spotlight On

Mission:
Since 1988, Arts for the Aging, Inc. (AFTA) has been providing artistic outreach workshops to psychologically and physically impaired seniors in not-for-profit senior day care centers in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. Last year, AFTA provided over 1000 art workshops and reached over 10,000 senior participants and children.

The varied art workshops that AFTA provides contribute to the dignity and care of the elderly by:

• increasing their sensory stimulation and orientation;
• enhancing their process of reminiscence;
• encouraging spontaneous self expression through identifying and accepting their limitations and their strengths;
• developing meaningful interpersonal relationships with other participants and some children; and
• building a communal spirit within the senior daycare facility.

Background:
AFTA programs encourage creative expression and communication for those with limited verbal capabilities as well as facilitate mental and physical stimulation. In short, AFTA has developed a low-tech yet highly cost-effective program that improves the functioning of older individuals and enhances their quality of life.

The media has recently reported that, once again, the average lifespan in America has been raised to a record 76.5 years. Unfortunately a large segment of this aging population is greatly disadvantaged by poverty, ill-health and social isolation. This is very true of the non-white District elderly. AFTA is proud that the seniors that AFTA teaches are reflective of the increasing diversity of the senior population and continues to provide its services at no cost to either the senior or the senior daycare centers.

Current Programs:
AFTA's art curriculum includes painting, drawing, sculpture, singing, dancing, drumming, poetry, tai-chi, intergenerational programming and cultural outings. Discerning the programming impact comes from poignant anecdotes from AFTA artists, participants, senior center partners and AFTA staff. It's inspiring to see art being created in such a carefree manner but with so much life. The arts bring out a spirit in the seniors that refuses to die.

AFTA continues to maintain very strong partnerships with the Greater Washington Urban League Division of Aging Services (GWUL), United Planning Organization, the Montgomery County Department of Recreation and EOFULA. The GWUL has 16 senior sites that are of great interest to AFTA because they serve Washington, DC's special senior populations such as the blind elderly, the hearing impaired elderly, the homeless elderly, and the Asian and Pacific Islander elderly. EOFULA, located in Adams Morgan, serves Latin American seniors and AFTA sends two Spanish speaking artists to this group four times a month. These partnerships have allowed the arts to reach a large segment of DC's senior population who would not have been given this opportunity otherwise.

Funding Needs:
AFTA is seeking funds from contributions and grants. These funds will be used for programming and the endowment.

"Spotlight On" highlights the activities of a different 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving the Metropolitan Washington, DC community. The selection of organizations for the "Spotlight On" is based on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic focus, and size, to ensure the broadest possible representation of the region's nonprofit sector.

If you'd like to see your NPO in the "Spotlight," e-mail a description of your organization, following the above format, to dclibrary@foundationcenter.org, with "Spotlight Submission" in the subject line.