THOMASVILLE- The Lady Banks Garden Club visited the Thomas-Grady County Service Center on Wednesday, educating its residents and population on the process of metamorphosis, before completing an activity with them. The outreach is part of an ongoing effort by the Service Center to engage the community with special needs individuals. 

According to Lady Banks President Marcy Sizemore, The Thomasville Garden Club, Inc. decided as a board to form a partnership with the Service Center, allowing each of the four garden clubs to visit once a quarter and present a nature-related activity to the residents. 

“It’s been highly supported and completely funded by our Garden Club Council,” Sizemore said. “We were super excited to be a part of it.” 

The Lady Banks had five members present, including Sizemore. 

Laura Rieck, Paige Sanders, Sharon Johnson, and Caroline Flowers all participated in facilitating the activities and sharing the educational tools. Each resident got to view different stages of metamorphosis, with caterpillars, cocoons, and glass-encased butterflies, before coloring a wooden butterfly they could keep with them. They also received a butterfly observation notebook. The notebook allows the participants to record the different stages of metamorphosis as the caterpillar grows. Two habitats with caterpillars at various stages were left with the residents to observe over the next ten days as they fill out their notebooks, before releasing the butterflies. 

The idea to focus particularly on butterflies came from the National Garden Club’s focus on pollinators this year. 

Thomas-Grady County Service Center Executive Director Janet Simmons was thrilled with the reaction from residents, who thoroughly enjoyed seeing the caterpillar in its natural habitat while completing hands-on activities. 

“That was so unique,” she said. “I’ve never seen it done like that, giving them an opportunity to interact on so many levels to learn about the process.” 

Not only was Simmons pleased with the outcome of the activity, but she was happy additional members of the Garden Club got to interact with the Service Center’s population. 

“They’re giving the population a chance to meet them,” she said. “We try to build relationships that are reciprocal.” 

Simmons explained now that the population has learned from four of the clubs, they are going to go and help the Garden Club plant flowers. 

“We try very hard to have people come, but make it so our people aren’t just receiving,” she said. “It’s a give and take.” 

The individuals at the Service Center are adults with developmental disabilities, some of whom reside at the Center, while others reside independently. 

The relationships and opportunities formed through outreach activities are integral to the population’s introduction to the community. 

Simmons explained residents can be taken out on a one-on-one basis, or in a very small group to learn about how to access resources in the community, introducing them to activities in the community, rather it be for leisure or business purposes. 

The Service Center also helps its participants find meaningful work, even finding opportunities for its residents to work in small clusters. When working in small clusters, each individual usually perfects one task, which they are then assigned for the duration of the work day, while as a group they complete a task. 

Through all of these services and interactions, Simmons said they hope to provide them with opportunities with the least amount of restrictions, but the right amount of support. 

“This gives them the freedom to do what they want to do, but with a safety net, so they can stay safe and healthy while doing it,” she said. 

Residents have even had the opportunity to work with individuals who specialize in cooking. 

Simmons shared they had recent visits from culinary artists, who utilized the full kitchen to teach the population how to produce meals together, with the hope they can then remember those skills after leaving the Thomas-Grady County Service Center. 

“We’ve tried to come up with a variety of things from culture to music to share with them,” Simmons said. “It’s important to us that people with developmental disabilities have a seat at the table. They are people just like us.” 

For anyone interested in presenting an activity to the residents at the Service Center or helping teach a new skill, contact Simmons at 229-225-4065.