Who We Are
After Graduation, Then What?
AACORN (Adult Agricultural Community Options for Residential Needs) was created to bring meaning and purpose to the lives of adults with intellectual and developmental differences who have aged out of school, and to end the social isolation experienced by many graduates with special needs. Its skill-building program, located on a forty-acre farm in Kalamazoo County, involves participants in activities ranging from animal and garden care to cooking, making goat milk soap, and much more.
Mission
The mission of AACORN is to provide life enrichment opportunities and residential options for adults with intellectual and developmental differences in a supportive inclusive community.
Expanding Options. Building Community.
After graduation, many adults with special needs sit at home with little to do. Through becoming participants at AACORN, they are introduced to a variety of choices, giving them a chance to learn new skills and engage in the community. They build community by performing activities together, increasing positive communication and social skills.
What We Do
Why Farming?
Tasks associated with farming like animal care and gardening provide a routine, stable source of purposeful activity for each individual that can be understood as meaningful work with predictable outcomes. The rural atmosphere promotes outdoor exercise and forming bonds with the animals they care for. It helps reduce the stress and sensory anxiety that are often experienced by individuals with developmental and intellectual differences when they are around large groups of people and exposed to loud noises common in urban settings.
Activities
Participants are busy feeding and cleaning animal enclosures each morning and gathering fresh eggs. They take walks together every day to appreciate the natural rural environment of our setting, engage in fellowship and maintain a healthy activity level. Seasonal demands change the activities, as gardening is emphasized in the warmer months while more cooking, arts, crafts, and other indoor activities are included in the colder months. Goats are milked after the does give birth, and the milk is stored to make goat milk soap, which is sold to the public along with other products put together by the participants. Community outings are always a part of the program, with trips to purchase supplies, to donate produce to charities, and to attend events and enjoy leisure activities together. These are just a few of the activities enjoyed by AACORN participants.
Learn more at http://aacorncommunity.org
Details
| (269) 348-0985 | |
| aacorn.ed@gmail.com | |
| Mary Pickett | |
| Executive DIrector | |
| http://www.aacorncommunity.org |
