Columbia City, Ind.— Easterseals Passages has been awarded a $3,200 grant from the Community Foundation of Whitley County’s H.A.N.D.S. Foundation for the purchase of sensory room equipment.
H.A.N.D.S. (Helping Achieve new Direction through Students) is a student group that meets monthly to discuss community needs, review grant requests and allocate funding to projects with an educational focus. The youth group is the result of a collaboration among The Dekko Foundation, the Community Foundation and three public school systems in Whitley County.
A sensory room can help individuals cope with stress and relax. The calming space features equipment designed to stimulate specific senses, such as fiber optic lights for visual stimulation or sand tables for tactile stimulation.