"COUNT ME IN" Flyer

In June of 2005, TR applied for a grant from the CVS/pharmacy Charitable Trust for the purchase of a puppetry kit designed by The Pacer Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The COUNT ME IN Puppetry Program is a disability awareness project which teaches inclusion and disability awareness through puppet shows. On November 1, 2005, The Cincinnati Recreation Commission Foundation was awarded a grant in the amount of $7,000 from the CVS/pharmacy Charitable Trust for the purchase of the puppetry kit!

The kit contains 8, 3-foot-tall puppets who portray youngsters from diverse backgrounds with a variety of disabilities. This program seeks to foster positive attitudes and promotes easier integration between children with disabilities and children without disabilities in schools and communities.

We began featuring the puppets at our recreation centers in the summer of 2006. As of September 2007 we have performed 14 shows at 8 different schools reaching a total of 668 children from 5-9 y.o. We have performed an additional 26 shows at 20 different community centers reaching a total of 520 children aged 5 - 10 y.o.

We are very excited about the impact that this program will have on promoting inclusion and disability awareness in our communities!

If you are interested in learning more about the COUNT ME IN Puppetry Program, please call Dan Beresford at (513)352-4013!

CVS/pharmacy - Community Involvement