Spring News & Upcoming ATD Fourth World Events in Gallup
April was a festive month for ATD Fourth World in New Mexico. We marked the 7th anniversary of our Story Garden at the Gallup flea market! Creativity flourished all month through the making of bird feeders, wind chimes and paint chip art.
To launch this month of festivities, the Octavia Fellin Public Library joined the fun! Anne, Youth Services Librarian, led us in a session of storytelling, using some beautiful stories written by local authors. It was a big hit!
And the celebration hasn’t stopped there: ATD Fourth World and its partners in the McKinley County Early Childhood Coalition engaged with families at the Gallup flea market in May. The goals were: to learn from families what would best support them in their efforts to nurture their young children; to share information on the resources that already exist; and to experience a day of outreach and co-learning as a coalition. As one partner said:
“We all work within our regular work hours, but that’s not always the best way to meet families. We want to connect with the entire family. You need to go where families go and where we can get male involvement—the flea market. We want to be there as a coalition, as a group, to support one another, and to share resources and what’s available to families.”
So, on Saturday, May 11th, several partners, agencies working in the fields of health, literacy and home visiting set up alongside Story Garden at the Gallup Flea Market, offering activities like painting, yoga, games promoting early childhood development, face-painting and more!
A big thanks to our main partners in this event: Navajo Nation Early Intervention Program—Growing in Beauty; Northwest New Mexico First Born; Avenues Early Childhood Services; University of New Mexico Family Center; Gallup McKinley County Schools, and COPE (Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment Program).
Want to help ATD Fourth World? We eagerly accept financial and in-kind donations. Contact Karen: 505-488-3624