Launching a New Series of Cooking Programs & Reaching a Larger Community in 2023
During the summer and fall of 2023, High Country Supported Living (HCSL) offered 16 Day Programs focusing on visual art, movement and music, including a new series of cooking programs featuring fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit from its orchard and gardens in Jacona.
Starting in late May, HCSL presented 11 nature-based, visual art, movement and dance programs. During these programs, the participants talked about birds and made felted eggs and wall hangings; played a variety of percussion instruments to different rhythms and beats; learned how dance is created by making different shapes with our bodies; played with clay to create animals and mini landscapes; learned about hawks and tortoises; and used fall leaves and pressed flowers to make holiday lanterns.
HCSL was also very excited to launch its new series of cooking programs this year. During HCSL’s cooking classes, the participants made pesto using basil and garlic from the gardens and made the pasta noodles from scratch; learned about sweet and savory foods by preparing blue corn griddle cakes with blueberry compote; made hummus and tabbouleh with vegetables from the garden; and celebrated the apple harvest by pressing cider and cooking apple sauce.
In addition, HCSL presented two programs at the “Keeping Independent Visions Alive” (KIVA) classroom. KIVA is the Santa Fe Public School’s life skills program for students with learning differences and special needs. In the first program, the KIVA students used flowers from Jacona to make spring bouquets. In the second program, HCSL board members brought tomatoes, onions and peppers from the gardens to make pico de gallo with the students and talk about the importance of eating fresh, healthy food.
HCSL’s 2023 programming events were attended by 101 individuals, including 53 young adults with an intellectual disability and 48 caregivers, peers and friends, almost doubling the number of participants in 2022. In addition, 66% of the attendees participated in more than one program this year, demonstrating how much they enjoyed what HCSL offered in 2023.
Clients from All Individuals First in Los Alamos, as well as Santa Fe-based agencies Community Options, Rainbow Therapies, and Visions Case Management attended HCSL’s 2023 programs along with friends from the Special Olympics program of the Taos Winter Sports Team and other Special Olympics teams.