Art, Inclusion, and the Power of Belonging
In our most recent print newsletter, we shared a "Mission Moment" highlighting how our community is putting the value of belonging into practice in a number of different ways. And if you caught our Executive Director’s recent blog post, “Come see what belonging looks like,” you already know that creating a genuine sense of community - ensuring every person (staff, volunteer, and client) feels seen, valued, and connected - is a core pillar of our mission here at Meals on Wheels of Loveland & Berthoud (MOWLB).
While the newsletter gave a snapshot of this philosophy in action, some stories are simply too special for a brief mention. So, we thought to dive deeper into one of the instances shared in that Mission Moment - a partnership with Bill Reed Middle School that perfectly illustrates what happens when a community decides that everyone belongs.
During the school’s "Inclusion Week," the entire student body - all 500 students - took on a mission: decorating 1,200 side-item sacks for our clients. The goal was simple but powerful: to ensure that when our neighbors open their door for a meal, they are met with a tangible reminder that they belong to a community that cares for them.
The sacks are truly wonderful, adorned with vibrant art and messages emboldening the "We All Belong" theme the school celebrated throughout the week. It was a collective achievement, and that spirit of inclusion carried through every single step of the project.
Belonging Every Step of the Way…
To bring the project full circle, the completed sacks were delivered to our office by students from Bill Reed’s Intensive Learning Center (ILC). The ILC program provides specialized, highly supportive education for students with significant exceptional needs, focusing on building social, functional, and academic independence within an inclusive school environment.
Having the entire student body channel their creativity into the project, and having the ILC students represent their peers to make the delivery, beautifully showcased what inclusion looks like in practice. It was a powerful reminder that belonging is a team effort. Each student at Bill Reed had a meaningful role to play in brightening the lives of our homebound neighbors, proving that we all have something valuable to contribute.
We are so grateful to the students and staff at Bill Reed Middle School for their hard work. This is just the beginning of our partnership, and we are already looking forward to more collaborative projects when the halls buzz with life again this fall.
Stephanie
