Favorite quote selected by Friends:



To be creative means to be in love with life.

-Osho

It's Baaa-aack!

Opening Minds through Art

OMA Goodness!

Just when you thought Art Immersion Thursdays couldn’t get any better, Opening Minds through Art (OMA) is back at Joyful Journey for a new fall session! And this time, we’re welcoming seven Purdue Nursing students AND two Ivy Tech interns to join our Friends for eight weeks of creativity, connection, and a whole lot of fun.

What is OMA?

Opening Minds through Art (OMA) is an award-winning, evidence-based, intergenerational art-making program designed for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive and physical challenges.

The best part? There’s no “wrong” way to do OMA! The program uses a failure-free approach that encourages creative expression, builds confidence, and creates meaningful connections between Friends and their student partners.

New Session, New Faces, & New Connections...

OMA is so very special because of the individualized partnerships formed. Each student is paired with the same Friend throughout the 8 sessions, giving them the chance to get to know one another, build trust, and create something special together.

For the students, it’s a chance to learn outside the classroom and experience the power of connection firsthand. For our Friends, it’s a chance to try new things, express themselves, share a few laughs, and maybe discover an artistic talent they didn’t know they had!

We’re so excited to have OMA back at Joyful Journey.

Maintaining an optimal level of wellness is an important part of enjoying a happy, healthy quality of life. At Joyful Journey, our six Domains of Wellness guide the programs and activities we offer, helping us support each Friend’s unique needs, interests and strengths.

Engagement is about feeling a sense of purpose, pride and worth. It can mean achieving a goal, helping someone else accomplish theirs, sharing personal knowledge and skills, or finding meaningful ways to contribute to the community.

In our Opening Minds through Art (OMA) program, for example, the focus isn't simply on creating something beautiful. It's on the relationships, choices and contributions that happen along the way. Our Friends have an opportunity to take an active role, share their creativity and experience the satisfaction of seeing an idea come to life.

That same sense of purpose can be found throughout the Joyful Journey day. A Friend teaching someone how to play a favorite game. Someone sharing a story or a special talent. Taking pride in finishing a project. These moments may seem small, but they can make a big difference in how a person feels about their day—and about themselves.

Engagement reminds us that everyone has something to contribute. Age, physical changes or cognitive changes don't take away a person's desire to connect, accomplish, create and matter to others.

Before their first day of art-making, OMA students complete video learning modules offsite, then come to Joyful Journey for hands-on preparation. Their time with us begins with a little Joyful Journey 101 from Executive Director Bess Witcosky, followed by Directors Angie Shamo and Tina Parker, who cover the nuts and bolts of the OMA program and what students can expect.

Then it’s time to meet the Friends! Students joined us for a fun game of bean bag toss, where plenty of laughs and stories were shared as everyone got to know one another.

This session, we were also pleased to welcome the team from Trilogy Health Services, who guided students through Dementia Live, an experiential learning opportunity that helps participants better understand what it can be like to live with dementia.

OMA officially begins! Lots of smiles and sharing.

Stay tuned as we share this beautiful journey! We look forward inviting you in for the culminating art show in December.

Have you heard about our Veterans Scholarship? Thanks to generous grant funding from the Arconic Foundation, Joyful Journey is able to offer scholarship support for local Veterans to participate in adult day services.

We know that as Veterans age, new challenges can arise—including changes in health, mobility, and social connection. Joyful Journey offers a welcoming place to spend meaningful days, build connections, stay active, and enjoy time with others.

We’re also working toward becoming certified to accept VA benefits for adult day services. But Veterans don’t have to wait! Scholarship support is available now while we work toward that goal.

If you or a Veteran you know might benefit from Joyful Journey, we’d love to talk. Call 765-607-6156 or email info@joyfuljourneywl.org to learn more.

A 501(c)3 Charitable Organization thankful for all donations and memorials.