Improving with Improv

by | Mar 27, 2023 | Improvisation

March 27, 2023: The Arlington County Detention Facility (ACDF) is another place we haven’t been too in the last few years (yep, COVID again) and we just couldn’t wait to begin with them this year. We kicked off our series with about 15 men in the Community Readiness Unit (CRU) – a competitive program for those about to be released. We have worked with the CRU before and they are always so excited and eager for our classes!

After a 5-week creative writing program, we began improvisation in March. Improv is always a hit in detention centers, and there’s no one better than our Keely Kirk to lead the way. In fact, this month she’s teaching improvisation at Friends of Guest House, the Arlington County Detention Center, and virtually at the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center in Winchester, Virginia.

How’s it going? Fabulously! Here’s a mashup of Keely’s after-class emails at the ACDF:

“All of the gentlemen participated. They had a great time and many of them said they can’t wait to see me next week. I had another thousand percent class – no other way to put it. They love their improv and what I’m bringing them. They’re so attentive and so into it and so engaged and everyone’s participating, even the quiet ones. They leave the class in a much different mood….Each week I review what we’ve been learning and they’re not only telling me what we’ve been learning, they’re also putting it into use so it’s really great!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so we’re posting a few photos from the men’s CRU class in Arlington and the women’s class in Winchester:

Etiquette for All!

by | Mar 27, 2023 | Etiquette

March 27, 2023: Everyone, and we mean everyone, can benefit from learning etiquette. It’s about being polite and respectful, as our etiquette expert Fannie Allen reminds me. As the founder of The Allen Protocol & Leadership Institute, Fannie walks the walk. Because of her I’ve replaced “hi” with “good morning” and “good afternoon” in my emails, and dare not let her see me in jeans.

And protocol is about kindness. And when Fannie showed up to her 4-week class at Friends of Guest House with a swag bag for the women, full of pretty toiletries and goodies, she once again showed us how it’s done. Mic drop.

Whether it’s social etiquette with Friends of Guest House or table manners with the girls of Space of Her Own, whoever takes Fannie’s class sits a little straighter, stands a little taller, and always puts her best foot forward.

Spoken Word: You Are!

by | Mar 27, 2023 | Poetry

February 15, 2023:

If pictures can truly melt hearts there will be puddles all across America with the photo on the right. It’s been awhile, pre-COVID actually, since we have worked with Senior Services of Alexandria They wanted something different, and we knew right away that C. Thomas and spoken word would be a breakout hit! We know the seniors would love it and they did. We didn’t know C. would love the impact he had on them so much. He said it was his all-time favorite Heard class – we never saw that coming, and we know he will be back!

Art for the Holidays at Carpenter’s Shelter

by | Mar 27, 2023 | Visual Arts

March 27, 2023: We admit, rather sheepishly, that we’ve gotten a little behind in our online postings. How else could we excuse NOT posting these fabulous art projects that our art teacher (and paper art fanatic) Alison McHugh brought to the Carpenter’s Shelter? Not just once, mind you, but twice! And each time Alison cleverly wove in a holiday theme into the work. To wit:

It’s the new year (well it was…) and what better way to start off a new year than to create your very own word to get you through 2023? Admit it – you’re motivated just by reading what our clients created!

And then it was St. Patrick’s Day! You can’t let that slip by without a tribute, can you? How about a rainbow (get it?) scrapbook with a memory-themed quote on the front cover. Cute, isn’t it? And created by a sentimental 12-year-old. And she wasn’t the only one having fun. Alison told us, “That was the MOST fun I’ve had at the Carpenters Shelter!! [Her mother said], ‘We might not be here next month, but I’ll definitely bring her back for your class.’  She was as sweet as pie! The little boy LOVED trying to ‘drive me crazy’ (his words) and followed me out of the class, joking with me.”