The Special Population Recreation group, the Rainbow Gang, learns about art and veterans with a surprise project
Video: See the surprise that a special population in Anderson County experienced
Kim Price surprises the Rainbow Gang Anderson County Special Population Group and sees their reaction
Kim Price, leader of the Quilts of Valor group, saw the heads and smiles of members of the Rainbow Gang Special Population peeking out, curious to see what she was doing, during a recent visit.
Members of the Rainbow Gang Special Population, an adult day care group in Anderson County, were employed in the adjacent rooms of the former 1935 McCants Middle School building. Nearly two dozen adults with intellectual disabilities participate in recreational activities run by Area 14 Special Olympics and the Rainbow Gang.
Kathy Schofield, the program coordinator at the Rainbow Gang Special Population daycare, responded enthusiastically when quilter Kim Price suggested an art activity in which participants could choose shapes to make colorful squares. After the squares were completed, Price began assembling a “secret” quilt that was presented as a surprise to the Rainbow Gang group on Monday to hang on the wall of their activity room.
“It opens up an opportunity for them to be creative. Some of them have seen the process of quilting and therefore understand what our friends across the hall are doing. Showcasing the quilts takes them a step further and helps them understand why Quilts of Valor exists and what they are doing with the quilts, which is to honor our heroes,” Schofield said.
“Remember the blocks you made months ago?” Price asked the group at lunch.
Then she and fellow quilter Anne Medlin lifted the large quilt. The campers let out a collective “ooooh” and “whooooo” as they saw their designs in the unique square panels, first made from paper and later recreated as a fabric quilt.
Price said to Brad Hammond in the front row, “Yes, that’s yours!” and pointed to his field. Hammond stood up and hugged Price.
“OK, so it has a label on it. And we usually give our quilts to veterans, right? But this one isn’t going to a veteran. It was made by the Rainbow People,” she said. “Isn’t that cool?”
The crowd applauded and more hugs followed.
“They all did a great job,” said Medlin, a quilter who has worked in vocational rehabilitation for 30 years, praising the Rainbow Gang’s interest in the arts.
