Windchime Decorating Workshop at TFD

Community art therapy workshop led by Yekseny centered on creative expression, mindfulness, and community connection. The workshop started with a check-in, welcoming both new and recurring community members to feel welcomed. Yekseny introduced the meaning and origin behind mandalas, along with their connection to reducing anxiety and creating a sense of balance. Community members decorated their own windchimes with colors, patterns, and symbols.

Conversations throughout the workshop encouraged reflection, connection, and comfort while creating alongside one another. Once everyone was finished decorating, everyone went around and presented their windchimes and where they planned to place them. The workshop encouraged others to create freely, reflect openly, and leave with something meaningful to them.

Mujeres Business & Fitness Fair

We are so excited to have participated in the Mujeres Business and Fitness Fair hosted by State Representative Norma Hernandez and her team! It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with community members and fellow small businesses, share the work The Firehouse Dream is doing, and provide resources and programming. We also offered items from our mental health kits to help support and sustain our co-created “Bag of Big Feelings” giveaways.

The fair was full of resources and activities: Zumba by Marcela Velazquez, yoga session led by our community partner Dasia Key, CrossFit by Susie Castro, and a panel discussion where our board president, Karina Mora, was one of the panelists. We also had the chance to walk around and check out the other businesses and vendors.

Filming at TFD!

The first week of November, TFD and Marvin Flavien partnered to start filming all the work we do here in our community. Marvin is from New Jersey and has a passion for creating fun branding videos. We are so excited to see the final project of the busy week we had of programming. For now, see below some BTS of the shoot!

Healing Circle Training

Over the last two weeks, the team and community members were invited to restorative justice training. Specifically, Andrew Hong of We Each Belong, trained the team in how to lead healing circles, which is a native practice built on restorative justice. Over 4 days, the team got to know each other on a deeper level, creating a circle, and then started to dream what their own independent circles would look like in the future.

We see how impactful circles can be for our community members. This practice was built on the idea that healing can be achieved through conversation, but most importantly, listening. We can’t wait to see how circle will grow in the Proviso community!

Thank you, Andrew, for creating a safe environment for the team! We appreciate your wisdom and kindness.

Photography at Quinn Center

As our fiscal year comes to a close this weekend, June 28th, we would love to share the photos the youth have taken at the Quinn Center. For two years now, we have partnered our youth interested in photography with the Quinn Center to take pictures at the event. This way, photographers gain more event photography experience all while working within their community. Our youth were at Quinn’s Christmas event, Turkey Giveaway, Senior celebrations, and more! Thank you to the Quinn Center for always considering our youth to capture meaningful events. Click through the gallery below for more pictures!