Perry Wellness Center sells art, produce – Americus Times Recorder

Perry Wellness Center, 302 East Furlow St., provides support for mental health and substance abuse recovery, and the center held a fundraiser Saturday where peers and members who attend the center for treatment created art to support the program.

Rhonda Hubbard, a fellow member of the Perry Wellness Center, described the fundraiser: “We had a fundraiser at the Perry Wellness Center. We sold fellow members’ art and donated items, and we also sold corn, watermelon, tomatoes, peas, peaches and flowers. There was a lot going on today.”

She showed off a painting she had done. “I like to paint the world,” she said, talking about the different things she enjoys painting. “Butterflies, trees, trains, fish in a trash can, a fish pond, a playground, butterflies, birds, airplanes, clouds, the moon, stars. I painted them all on one piece of paper.”

Customers continued to come to the store, Hubbard said of the event. [have] They’ve already donated some artwork and opened a little concession stand at the bottom of the hill, selling hot dogs, sausage dogs, funnel cakes, sweet tea, lemonade and potato chips, and it’s still open today.”

Colleague and staff member Kelvin Mullins has been attending the Perry Wellness Center for 25 years. Wearing a cone cap, he spoke about the center’s activities, which he said are programs for mental health and substance abuse. “We [are] “We’re here trying to get sober and stuff, trying to better ourselves and help other people in the community.” Another said he’d been going to the centre for a while and had lots of friends there.

Susan Childs, a concession manager at the market, wore tomato earrings, a Southern Tide baseball cap and a neon green shirt. Childs praised her peers’ artwork. “At the Perry Wellness Center, we have art days and as you can see, they get to express themselves.”

Childs discussed how they work with several farmers within a 100-mile radius to supply vegetables for Rudy’s Happy Patch, the center’s vegetable market. “They deliver fresh produce every day,” she said, noting that in addition to vegetables, they also have desserts. “We also have some very unique stuff, our homemade ice cream. Mickey Wiggins makes all the ice cream. She uses ingredients that she gets from the vegetable market.” Childs noted that Wiggins, who is kitchen director, makes peach and strawberry ice cream, and will soon be offering a sugar-free option.

Childs mentioned the festival as a way to bring the market to different locations. She said of the response in Richland: “We’ve set up a mobile market where we sell flowers and produce. They’ve been very supportive.” Childs said they have a good relationship with each of the counties they serve. The center also plans to start a garden club at Perfect Care, a nursing home, by the fall.
In addition to a produce stand, the center also has a nursery where members can gain work and social experience while selling plants. Childs described how the experience of reviving wilted flowers was therapeutic for her members, likening it to a Bible study. She said many of her members struggled with feelings of worthlessness, and healing the plant was a helpful metaphor, telling them, “This flower doesn’t look great on the outside, but if it has a good root system, just like we all have a good root system, it can come back to life.”

She spoke of how this metaphor sparked enthusiasm among her peers: “When they see a plant suffering in the heat and they can bring it back to life, they feel so proud.”

“We need good volunteers, anything from sweeping to watering,” Childs said of the skills needed. “If you have a love for people, a degree in gardening, home economics, anything like that, or anything you’ve done in your job, come help out. Or you just love flowers. We’re looking for volunteers.”