06 Dec A powerful awakening. YOU made it happen.

Thanks to your generous support, a group of CATA artists from two Berkshire County Arc day programs, the Nu-Opps brain injury program and Center for Development, joined forces to build benches for their Memory Garden to honor their peers who have passed away.

“What ended up happening was magical,” says CATA Faculty Artist Janice Shields, who led the workshops.

“As soon as the drills and saws came out, the artists from Nu-Opps started opening up about their pre-brain injury life— about the building experience they had, or how they’d done something like this before.”

The staff was surprised, too.

“For people who don’t usually talk about who they were before their injury, they really opened up,” says Janice. “They had these skills within them and wanted to be part of the project.”

By the end, several of the artists were using the tools without Janice’s help.

“It was like it was all coming back to them. They were so proud. Everyone did a drum roll as we put the last screw in!”

“This was one of the most amazing workshops I’ve been a part of at CATA,” says Janice. “The revelations that came out— it was almost like an awakening.“

Your support makes life-changing programs like this possible. We can’t do it without you! Donate to CATA and make a difference today!