Email from Foluke Cultural Arts Center, Inc. A Season of Gratitude Dear FolukéARTS Family, As we enter this season of gratitude, we extend our warmest thanks to everyone who continues to uplift our mission. Your commitment helps us provide transformative arts education to children, teens, and older adults across Cleveland’s Central community. Because of you, we are able to offer safe, nurturing, and inspiring spaces where creativity becomes a pathway to confidence, wellness, and personal growth. Thanksgiving offers a reminder that community is both our foundation and our future. At FolukéARTS, we remain dedicated to strengthening families, empowering youth, and celebrating the vital cultural contributions of our senior community members—our keepers of tradition and wisdom. Program Updates After-School Arts Education Our multi-disciplinary after-school programming remains active Monday–Thursday offering instruction in theater, dance, music, culinary arts, media, and visual arts. Professional teaching artists lead participants in creative exploration while building discipline, confidence, academic motivation, and social-emotional skills. Strengthening Existing Partnerships Friendly Inn Settlement Our longstanding partnership with Friendly Inn Settlement continues to be a cornerstone of our community presence. Together, we deliver youth arts education, intergenerational engagement opportunities, and neighborhood-centered cultural programming within this trusted community hub. New & Expanded Partnerships After School All Stars - Cleveland This year, FolukéARTS proudly joined forces with After School All Stars, expanding creative programming for middle-school youth in the area of Media Arts. Through this collaboration, students now have access to arts-based enrichment that supports academic success, personal development, and a sense of belonging after school hours. Sisters of Charity Health Through our alignment with Sisters of Charity Health and The Central Promise Neighborhood, we are advancing our shared commitment to community wellness. This partnership supports the integration of arts and well-being initiatives designed to foster mental health, reduce social isolation, and promote creative expression as a tool for personal healing—particularly within the Central neighborhood. Marion-Sterling School (CMSD) At Marion-Sterling, FolukéARTS is delivering after-school arts programming, with the support of Sisters of Charity Health, that assists in student expression, creativity, and positive engagement. Our teaching artists provide consistent, high-quality instruction that helps build confidence and expands students’ access to arts learning during the school week. Welsh Academy – St. Ignatius High School Our partnership with The Welsh Academy, the middle school of Saint Ignatius High School, has brought new opportunities for middle-school boys to participate in arts education. Through culturally responsive teaching and hands-on artistic activities, we support their growth, curiosity, and social-emotional development. McGregor Foundation – Creative Aging Initiative Foluké Cultural Arts Center is honored to announce a new partnership with The McGregor Foundation to expand our Creative Aging work beginning in Spring 2026. This collaboration strengthens our commitment to supporting the health, wellness, and social engagement of older adults through meaningful artistic expression. Rooted in the belief that older adults are invaluable carriers of culture, wisdom, and community memory, this initiative will offer a suite of arts-based experiences designed to promote vitality, connection, and creative exploration. Program Focus Areas Beginning Spring 2026, at locations TBA, Creative Aging programming supported by The McGregor Foundation will include: • Telling Our Stories Narrative and personal history workshops that empower seniors to preserve and share their life experiences through writing, oral storytelling, and multimedia formats. • Poetry & Literary Arts Guided sessions that nurture creative voice, imagination, emotional processing, and cognitive wellness through poetry writing, spoken word, and collaborative reading circles. • Visual Arts Hands-on artmaking—painting, drawing, mixed media, and craft-based design—centered on self-expression, fine-motor skill development, and creative problem-solving. • Creative Movement Gentle movement classes that support mobility, joy, rhythm, and body awareness, while encouraging participants to explore physical expression in a safe, adaptive environment. Please Support Our Mission by Making a Thanksgiving Gift Your generosity makes it possible for under-resourced youth and older adults to access high-quality arts education and wellness-supporting creative engagement. As we continue our work into the winter months and the year ahead, your support ensures that these programs remain accessible and impactful. Donate Now from our FolukeArts Donation Page Connect with us! Our sponsors and supporters Foluke Cultural Arts Center, Inc. | @ Friendly Inn 2386 Unwin Road | Cleveland, OH 44104 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice