FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Jesters of the University of Saint Francis is accepting registrations from people with developmental disabilities for its summer 2018 program. The program will include a series of workshops designed to give people with developmental disabilities opportunities to explore the performing arts.
Each session will include two weekly 1.5-hour workshops for a total of 3 hours of service per two-week session:
Visual Art – June 19 and June 26, 6:30-8 p.m., $15
Theatre and Improvisation – July 3 and July 10, 6:30-8 p.m., $15
Dance and Choreography – July 24 and July 31, 6:30-8 p.m., $15
Participants can register for all six weeks or a single two-week session. Activities will focus on creating a template for next year’s Jesters performance to be presented Spring 2019. However, the summer program is offered to anyone with a developmental disability regardless of his/her involvement with the traditional Jesters program that is held annually, September–March.
Registrations will be accepted through June 11, 2018. Capacity is limited to the first 25 participants who register for each session. To request registration forms, please contact Molly McGowan in the School of Creative Arts at mmcgowan@sf.edu or (260) 399-8064. For moreinfo, please contact the Jesters Program Director, Allison Ballard, at allis2b@yahoo.com or (260) 750-4838.
The Jesters program is funded in part by grants from the AWS Foundation, the M. E. Raker Foundation, the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Sponsored by USF since its founding in 1978, the Jesters is a performing arts program for people with mild to severe developmental disabilities. Each year from September to March, the program provides weekly customized arts activities. Each spring, the Jesters program culminates in an original multi-media performance. The purpose of the Jesters is to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities by engaging them in the creative arts. Their vision is to help people with disabilities develop self-expression, self-esteem, socialization and other life skills while providing learning opportunities to USF students and the community.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the School of Health Sciences, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership and School of Creative Arts. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. In 2016, the University of Saint Francis expanded its presence to downtown Fort Wayne. USF Downtown houses the university’s business and music technology programs while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis campus experience includes 16 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships, and is recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution. Approximately 2,300 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.