STEP AND OUR COMMUNITY

Visit Ashe Library to see art on display by STEP program participants  throughout the month of January.

Summit Support Services of Ashe is dedicated to serving adults with developmental disabilities by providing a comprehensive range of opportunities and resources that encourages the intellectual, social, emotional, vocational, physical and spiritual growth necessary for each individual to reach his or her fullest potential as a citizen of the community.

 STEP (Summit Teaching and Educational Program) is a day program where people with developmental disabilities get together and learn how to be healthy and productive members of our community. We teach NVC (Non-Violent Communication) to those who are interested. We practice various problem-solving techniques. We do art projects together. We come to this wonderful library often. We walk daily. Some clients swim. We go bowling and on special outings from time to time. All this is aimed at having the clients feel good about themselves and their place in the world.

 Using the arts to enhance life and learning has been part of STEP since its inception.  In fact it was originally conceived as an arts based day program. We now offer the opportunity for folks who are interested to create a micro-business, which involves creating products and marketing them. Some of those businesses involve the arts.

 We partner with Wilkes Community College which provides classes for STEP participants where students have an opportunity to be involved in the college community, learning math, reading comprehension and computer skills at their own pace with support and encouragement as well as learning to work well together.  The outstanding instructors at the WCC program chose study themes for the group. This past year the students studied North Carolina. These collages of Venomous Snakes of North Carolina were part of that study.

 We partnered with The Ashe County High School SE Program during the fall. ACHS students came to STEP and did projects with our participants to experience firsthand how our clients can make decisions and follow instructions while having fun together as well as getting a taste of what is available to them when they graduate. The flags you see here are an example of one of the projects.

 Call 846-4491 (the Summit Administration Office) or STEP at 846-5678 or go to www.summitsupportservices.org if you would like more information about us, would like to volunteer in our program or would like to make a contribution so we can keep the fun, creativity and purposeful work going!

 submission by: Elizabeth Percival [weareourdreamscometrue@gmail.com]