News release from the University of Saint Francis:
USF launching Junior Jesters for children with disabilities
(August 1, 2013) – The Jesters program of the University of Saint Francis (USF) will launch a new program, Junior Jesters, in September for children ages 6 to 14 with developmental/physical disabilities.
Modeled after the traditional Jesters program, which serves adults with disabilities, Junior Jesters will offer customized activities in dance/movement, music (instrumental and voice) and theater, facilitated by local teaching artists. The program will meet weekly from September to March, culminating in the spring with an original multi-media performance featuring children, teen and adult participants.
The Jesters and Junior Jesters programs will begin Sept. 7 and meet each Saturday from 10 a.m.-noon at the USF North Campus building at 2702 Spring St., across from the main campus. A visual arts program will be held from noon-2 p.m. in the Rolland Center for Art and Visual Communication.
Participants are welcome to attend the morning session only, or both the morning and afternoon sessions. During the morning session, children in the Junior Jesters will be served separately from the teens and adults. During the afternoon visual arts session, the children will learn with the teens and adults.
The Jesters program will not meet Nov. 30 due to Thanksgiving or Dec. 21 and 28 or Jan. 4 and 11 due to holiday break. The program will resume Jan. 18 and will continue meeting each Saturday from 10 a.m-2 p.m. through March 8. The spring 2014 performance will be presented March 8 at 6 p.m. and March 9 at 3 p.m. at the North Campus auditorium. The program is made possible in part through funding by the AWS Foundation.
Annual participation fees are $60 per participant. Scholarships are available. Participants can register by calling the USF School of Creative Arts at (260) 399-7700, ext. 8001 to request registration forms. For questions, contact Director Allison Ballard by phone at 745-3107 or email at allis2b@yahoo.com.
About the University of Saint Francis
The University of Saint Francis, founded in 1890 as a comprehensive university in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate programs through the School of Health Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership, School of Professional Studies and School of Creative Arts. The university’s College of Adult Learning designs focused curriculum for working adults by offering online and accelerated programs, through its Virtual, Fort Wayne and Crown Point campuses. More than 2,300 students from a broad geographic region attend USF for its academic excellence.
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