HOLMES CENTER FOR THE ARTS

PAM SEMENYNA

When it comes to helping youth, Holmes County finds strength in partnerships between agencies, foundations, businesses, and individuals who desire to impact children.  One of those powerful relationships is a unique collaboration between the mental health systems and Holmes Center for the Arts (HCA), a non-profit organization founded in 2015.

HCA believes participation in performing and visual arts has life-changing impact on individuals and can be a tool in both behavioral health prevention and treatment efforts. Collaborations with the Holmes County Health Department, the Counseling Center of Wayne and Holmes County, the Holmes County Family and Children First Council, and local schools have resulted in camps and after-school classes in the arts over the last few years designed to give at-risk youth confidence building experiences to bring about positive changes in their lives. As Holmes County does not have any type of community center, there are limited opportunities to provide programming with a focus on engaging youth, at-risk or not. When the Community Resiliency Project application, administered by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addition Services*, was released, HCA already had a history of building resiliency through art.

Receiving this grant will allow for the construction of a new building.  A new building for the HCA will not only provide a home for artists to grow but will allow for an expansion of after-school programming for children in a safe, welcoming environment.   For the first time in Holmes County, there will be a place outside of school where children and teens can be tutored on their schoolwork, taught to express themselves through the arts, engage in social activities, and have access to counseling and mentoring services.  With adequate and flexible space in a new building, HCA will be able to not only increase collaborations with the above listed organizations but will also establish a new partnership with Anazao Community Partners (a local full-service behavioral health organization) in providing support for at-risk and in-risk youth, ages 12 - 18.  Anazao will have office space in the new HCA building to provide the services directly to the youth in partnership with HCA.  Like HCA, Anazao is in need of space to adequately serve current clients as well as the increasing number of youth being referred by families and schools.  Anazao's unique youth programming focuses on prosocial development and asset building, and requires trained instructors to teach extracurricular, therapeutic activities such as music and art.  The new HCA building will create a space for easy collaboration between HCA and Anazao, providing a stronger web of support and treatment for these youths while building confidence and community through the arts.   

For additional information, contact Pam Semenyna (Holmes County FCFC)

*The objective of that grant was to:

Invest $20 million in state capital funding to support the establishment, expansion and/or renovation of safe and healthy programming spaces for middle- and high-school age youth to access prosocial activities in the community. While the space will be available for the entire community, the programming emphasis will focus on engaging a broad spectrum of at-risk youth.