Women took time out for themselves on February 12 at the She’s Dignity Art Therapy, which took place at Lupa Osteria in Meyersdal.
It was time for the women to unwind and just enjoy a day together with friends with the theme of Love is the Cherry on Top.
Founder Laurette Marais welcomed everyone and also introduced the co-founder and fine artist Johan Fredericus van Graan.
Each guest received a packet with everything they were going to need for the day in and each of them also received a wine glass with their name on it.
Before Johan started his creative process of art therapy, Laurette read a poem called Love is the Cherry on Top, which she wrote.
She then spoke about the partnership they have with the J29 Community Care.
“We are always planning fund-raisers and collecting donations to assist them in caring for orphaned children in Katlehong,” she said.
Pre-Loved Charity Handbags Drive is an initiative to help empower homeless women, women at risk or women experiencing domestic violence.
“This is to help women around the country to take back their power,” she added.
Laurette collected pre-loved handbags on behalf of the J29 Community Care, which they will distribute where needed.
A wheelie bin, which is normally on the outside of Tina dos Santos’ Bodylicious beauty salon, is used to collect non-perishable goods.
“Thank you to everyone who donated pre-loved handbags. Thank you to each and everyone who made this day a huge success. Thanks to Lupa Osteria for the amazing food and service, you guys are amazing!
“Also thank you to everyone who enjoyed the day with us, it was an absolute pleasure. Thank you to Tina from Bodylicious for always contributing to our events,” Laurette said.
Benefits of She’s Dignity art therapy
• Art therapy has been shown to benefit people of all ages and you don’t need to be very creative or artistic to take up this therapy.
• Give voice to experiences and feelings not easily expressed in words.
• Relieves stress and anxiety.
• Boost self-esteem and confidence.
• Art therapy helps to process difficult emotions.
• It supports your overall mental health.
• Art therapy can improve communication and concentration and can help reduce feelings of isolation.
More about J29
J29 Community Care is an NPO that gives vulnerable children hope and a future by providing ongoing practical support to assist them with their development. Facilitated by Claudia Dippenaar, who is assisted by her team of social workers and volunteers, J29’s aim is to uplift and empower orphaned children.
“No child at 10 years old should be left to live alone,” said Claudia. J29 Community Care was founded in 2006, and in 2008, the NPO embarked on a project called Home Alone to support and care for orphaned children.
