Students of Ade’s Place hold Craft Sale today!

By Melissa Bryant
Reporter~SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AS part of its semester activities, Ade’s Place (AP) is holding a craft sale today (Nov. 28) at the St. Christopher National Museum on the Bay Road from 10:00 a.m. until late afternoon.

The craft sale is an annual initiative that has been undertaken by the facility since its inception in 2005. According to AP’s Executive Director Linda Adams, the objectives are to raise funds as the facility is supported financially by donations and government’s assistance.

Hand-crafted items made by the facility’s students will be on display including Christmas wreaths made from pea pods, decorated shells and tags, key chains, jewellery, paintings, mats, greeting cards and cardboard flowers. Adams noted that the sale is also a way of showcasing the talents of the students to the community.

“Just because they are disabled does not mean that they are incapable of doing worthwhile things. That is the aim of [AP]; to train our students so they can make valuable contributions to society. I am so proud of the work that they have done,” she said.

Dr.  Robertine Chaderton founded AP in 2005 because of her mentally challenged son, as she desired a place where he could spend the daytime and be trained in basic skills because he was incapable of finding employment.~~Adz:Right~~

Many of the students are persons who have left the Special Education Unit and have yet to be employed. Guardians of mentally challenged adults can apply to AP’s Board to have their wards be housed in the school from morning until late afternoon.

The facility currently has 15 students, three instructors and one director and, akin to a school, it operates on a semester system.
Basic Food Preparation and Art and Craft are some of the classes held at AP, as well as weekly interaction with nurses who visit the facility and hold talks about healthy lifestyles and conduct exercise classes.

Adams revealed that the organisation hopes to create a garden farm for the students to enhance their gardening skills and eventually establish a booth down at Port Zante to sell their produce [art and craft] to the general public.