The STAR Center in Jackson, TN has been a pillar for people of all abilities for over 36 years. What started as an endeavor to improve the lives of a small number of people has grown into an entity that serves all 95 counties in Tennessee. Services provided include speech therapy, music therapy, literacy tutoring, employment, vision, and home care services, as well as assistive technology. One key service of the STAR Center for many years was art therapy. The people whom the center served benefited from art therapy through improvements in cognitive development, focus and attention, maintenance of fine motor skills, and in their ability to express their emotions artistically. Sadly, due to staffing shortages, art therapy has been unable to be provided for nearly 10 years. During STAR’s time without art therapy, the art room became outdated in both appearance and materials.
Enter Ria Patel. Ria is a 2023 graduate of Madison Academic Magnet High School and current New York University student. Long before high school graduation, Ria’s connection with the STAR Center began through what she called “Cupcake Drives.” Ria would use her gift of baking and decorating to provide delicious cupcakes to the staff of the STAR Center. Upon being around the center, Ria recognized a problem. There were no longer art services for the people whom STAR served. Ria decided to remedy that problem through Ria’s Heart Art Program.
In the spring of 2022, Ria submitted a proposal to the leadership of the STAR Center detailing her plan for rejuvenating an art program. Even though resuming art therapy was not possible due to the staffing shortage, it was possible to reintroduce art classes into the fabric of STAR. Ria’s plan included a complete renovation of the art room, new art supplies, and ways to fund stipends for artists teaching classes. The plan was unanimously approved and work quickly began to bring Ria’s vision to life. By the summer of 2022, the first Ria’s Heart art classes were in full swing. Ria’s desire was fulfilled. The children served by STAR were once again able to express themselves through art.
Since that first summer of art classes, Ria’s Heart Art Program has continued to provide art experiences, taught by local Jackson artists, to children with disabilities in the West TN area. The children come to STAR, an artist leads the class while volunteers assist, the children express themselves through art, and once again, the STAR Center’s walls and halls are filled with creations completed by people served at STAR. The partnership between Ria and the STAR Center has turned out to be a beautiful and mutually beneficial experience, and thankfully, this partnership has not ended even though Ria is now living in New York City most of the year.
This summer, Ria’s Heart Art Camp was June 17 – 21. During this week, children came to the STAR Center each afternoon to participate in making art. Thankfully, Ria was home from NYC and was able to volunteer at the camp that bears her name. As a bonus to the children, Ria has returned to her initial artistic passion, culinary arts. While volunteering at the camp each day, Ria provided opportunities for the children to decorate cookies and cupcakes. As you can imagine, the children were extremely excited about this opportunity. Not only was this exciting for the children, it was also an experience that Ria will never forget. Ria says,
Each day spent at camp not only brightened my day but also allowed me to witness the children’s faces light up with excitement. It was something new and thrilling for them, a new medium through which they could express themselves in ways they hadn’t before. I loved watching them pick out colors, carefully plan their designs, and munch on the decorations as they pondered which colors to use, but most of all, I loved making each child feel special. I loved seeing their faces beam with pride while they showed off their finished treats.
Well, the summer is almost over, and Ria has returned to NYC. Thankfully, the STAR Center will continue to benefit from Ria’s generosity and her heart. As we reflect on this program, we cannot help but encourage other high school and college students to look at one person can do when they are committed to their passion of helping individuals with disabilities. STAR looks forward to a continued partnership with Ria and hopes that the art program can be as big and beneficial as Ria’s heart truly is.