FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Jesters of the University of Saint Francis are accepting registrations for their summer program.
Anyone ages 13 and older with a developmental disability is eligible to participate. The program will include a series of workshops designed to give people with developmental disabilities opportunities to explore the performing arts.
Each session will be held at the USF North Campus, 2702 Spring St., and will include two 90-minute workshops. The sessions are:
Storytelling and Improvisation, May 28 and June 4, 6:30-8 p.m. Cost: $15
Visual Art, June 25 and July 2, 6:30-8 p.m. Cost: $15
Dance and Choreography, July 30 and Aug. 6. Cost: $15.
Participants may register for all six weeks or a single two-week session. Activities will focus on creating a template for next year’s Jesters and their spring performance. However, the summer program is offered to anyone with a developmental disability regardless of his/her involvement with the traditional Jesters program, which is held annually from September through March.
Registration deadline is two weeks before the start of each session. Capacity is the first 25 to register for each session. To request registration forms, contact Molly McGowan in the USF School of Creative Arts at 260-399-8064 or email mmcgowan@sf.edu. For more information, contact Jesters Program Director Allison Ballard at 260-750-4838 or allis2b@yahoo.com.
The Jesters program is funded in part by grants from the AWS Foundation, the ME Raker Foundation, the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Sponsored by USF since 1978, the Jesters is a performing group of people with mild to severe intellectual/developmental disabilities. The purpose of the Jesters is to enhance quality of life for people with disabilities by engaging them in the creative arts. The vision is to develop self-expression, self-esteem, socialization and other life skills while providing learning opportunities to the USF community and the community at large.
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. 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 2,200 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.