Transition To Work and Art Can Work Making Progress
Some celebrations are bigger than a single moment. They are about the people, partnerships, and shared belief that make progress possible.
We Care Arts is proud to celebrate several new grants supporting Transition To Work, Employment Services, and Art Can Work. This support helps create more opportunities for people with disabilities to build confidence, skills, creativity, and pathways toward meaningful work and independent living.
For supporters, families, educators, employers, donors, volunteers, and community partners, these grants are a hopeful reminder of what can happen when a community invests in potential.
Every grant helps We Care Arts make more space for learning, expression, connection, and the next step forward.
The following funders have invested in the
Transition To Work
program:
Transition To Work is a state-established initiative for students with special needs ages 16 to 22 as they move from high school toward employment and independent living. We Care Arts strengthens this essential in-school program through weekly art classes that reinforce life and job skills. In the studio, making art becomes a practical way to rehearse the habits and mindsets that support the journey ahead.
Participants can practice:
Confidence and capability through creating, trying, and sharing their work.
Problem-solving by making choices, adapting ideas, and finding creative solutions.
Following directions and persistence by working through a project from beginning to end.
Collaboration through shared activities, communication, and encouragement.
Together, these experiences help participants prepare for the possibilities that come after high school while celebrating the strengths they bring right now.
Community Fund of Ohio has contributed funds to bolster the
Employment Services Program,
which takes place at the We Care Arts' Town & Country gift shop.
This support recognizes that each person’s goals, interests, and next steps are unique. It gives We Care Arts continued opportunity to stand alongside participants as they explore their potential and move toward greater possibility in work and life.
The Foundation for Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Art Can Work (ACW) is designed to inspire creativity and skill-building through art. The program aligns with Ohio state-mandated Special Education Transition to Work programs and the Ohio Department of Education Fine Arts teaching standards.
Through hands-on projects, ACW develops practical abilities that can support learning, participation, and preparation for what comes next.
Its focus areas include:
- Following directions paired with creative problem-solving - learning to understand a task while making thoughtful choices along the way.
- Integrated visual and motor dexterity - strengthening the connection between seeing, planning, and making.
- Project, time, and resource management - practicing how to organize materials, pace work, and complete a project.
Inside the ACW Classroom Art Curriculum Set
The ACW Classroom Art Curriculum Set brings structure, flexibility, and creative access into the learning experience:
- 10 weeks of lesson plans featuring Cross-Curricular Connections add-ons
- Mindfulness exercises to support wellness and Social-Emotional Learning
- Adaptive suggestions ensuring accessibility for diverse learning needs and ability levels
- 10 weeks of art supplies for up to 20 students and their teacher
- 10 follow-along video tutorials via special online channel links
Together, Transition To Work, Employment Services, and Art Can Work create a continuum from skill-building and school-based transition support to employment preparation and ongoing opportunity.
We also want to thank the
PNC Foundation for contributing towards the We Care Arts,
Together We Care Gala, happening February 26, 2027. Their contribution will go towards creating an enjoyable experience for our supporters and allow us to maximize o our resources for our biggest fundraiser of the year.
Grateful for a community that believes
We Care Arts extends heartfelt thanks to the grantmakers who are helping make this work possible. We are equally grateful to educators, families, employers, volunteers, donors, and community supporters who show up with encouragement, partnership, and belief in what people can do.
