The Life Enrichment

Center
Mason DeNamur
Georgia College & State University
 The Life Enrichment Center
• What is The Life Enrichment Center?
• The Life Enrichment Center is a private nonprofit organization for adults with intellectual disabilities that was
established in 1967. They work with adults in and around the Baldwin County area.

• What is their mission?

• Their main mission is to strengthen the quality of life of their participants through community organized
events and activities.

• Population:
• 18+ / Adults with intellectual disabilities
 What all does the LEC provide?
• Encourages their participants to pursue their dreams and aspirations
• Hosts events, programs, activities, and other community based gatherings
• They create fun and interactive ways for their participants to learn new and useful
information
• Their organization also has an amazing staff that is always there for our participants
 Public Health Issues
• Quarantine
• Transportation
• Obesity
• Pressure Sores/Ulcers
• Fatigue
 Daily/Weekly Tasks
• Creating or choosing a brain game for the day.
Some examples of ones we played are ten
strikes, wheel of fortune, and twenty questions.
• Organizing, meeting, and planning for
upcoming programs or activities
• Speaking and having conversations with all our
participants to form bonds and develop
various new unique forms of communication
 Activities/Events/Programs
• Horticulture
• Fishing at Worley Center
• Wednesday Music Mini Camp
• Monday Mini Camp
• Brain Games
• Fun Fridays
• Walk/Exercise at Greenway
• Field Trips
 Monday Minicamp - Lockerly Arboretum
• First half of the summer
• Schedule/Activities
• Rec first – nature walk with our guys group
• Split into 3 rotations: horticulture, arts/crafts, nutrition
• Planning
• Horticulture – Made sure to bring cups to put our plants
in. Also chose which seeds we used prior to starting.
• Recreation – Depending on the day, we would decide
which trail was best for our participants.
• Evaluation
• Participants thoroughly enjoyed being outdoors in the
morning time, but their excitement quickly changed once it
became hot.
• Some activities that were planned were liked/disliked by each
group. Sometimes hard to please every single person .
 Monday Minicamp - Kudzu
• Second half of the summer
• Schedule/Activities
• Guy group stayed on second floor; which included ping pong,
billiards, and video games
• Depending on the weather, we sometimes went outside to play
basketball, ladder ball, and Frisbee
• Planning
• Deciding which activity would be best for every guy in our
group.
• Making sure that everyone got a turn participating in the
activity of their choosing
• Evaluation
• Since their were couches and a tv in the main game room, it
was sometimes difficult getting every single guy engaged in an
activity
• Having everyone rotate throughout the activities worked well,
because we were able to have full engagement from everyone.
 Worley Center
• Two Thursdays in May, we went fishing
• Schedule/Activities
• We left once all the guys were at the center in the morning
• Stayed for lunch, then headed back to the center to finish our
day
• Learning how to tie knots, catch fish, and rules of the facility

• Planning
• The only thing our participants had to bring was their lunches
• Once we arrived, the staff members provided us with bait and
fishing rods

• Evaluation
• It was such a great experience working with and teaching our
guys all about fishing
• Participation was high during the morning, but eventually
decreased once the sun came out and the humidity rose
 Horticulture
• Horticulture – The practice of garden management
• Schedule/Activities
• This activity occurred at Lockerly and the LEC
• Sometimes involved planting seeds in soil or watching presentations
from Paige on all the various types of plants and their benefits
• Planning
• Depending on the location and day, we would decide what aspect
of horticulture would be presented
• Sometimes this planning occurred on the day of it not previously
planned the day before
• Evaluation
• Our participants seemed to only be engaged when they were able to
actually plant something or help water our plants in the backyard
• Whenever we tried doing a presentation or video, their seemed to
not be as much engagement or excitement
 Weekly Walk At The Greenway
• Schedule/Activities
• Sheryl’s group always walked at the Greenway every Thursday morning
• Each week, they tried to increase the amount they walked
• Myself and the other interns would take turns weekly joining this group
• Planning
• There was no planning necessary for this activity
• Evaluation
• Since we did our walk during the morning, it wasn’t too hot outside for our participants
• Everyone seemed to be having a good time whenever we went
• They are continuously working to improve their walking distance, and it has gotten over 2 miles as
of last week
 Wednesday Music Minicamp - Community
Baptist Church
• Last couple weeks of internship
• Schedule/Activities
• All groups arrived and were split into 4 groups
• Rotations consisted of singing, bucket drumming, arts/crafts, and hand
drumming

• Planning
• Setting up chairs and tables prior to our participants arrival
• Helping Paige come up with ideas for her arts/crafts activity

• Evaluation
• Singing rotation sang too many of the same songs each week. Should have
been planned prior and adjusted to our participants interests.
• Drumming rotations could have been combined into one activity.
• Instead of having 4 groups, we could have for sure made 3 solid groups
that would not have been too large.
 Brain Games
• Schedule/Activities
• Brain games was an everyday activity from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
• We had a list of games to choose from, including wheel of
fortune, ten strikes, twenty questions, and name that tune
• Games tended to have a theme or idea that was related to
something we had done throughout the week

• Planning
• Finding words or names of songs the day before, or day of

• Evaluation
• Participation from our activity center participants and online
participants varied from day to day
• The two most liked games were for sure wheel of fortune and
twenty questions
 Pop quiz #1
• What activities do our participants engage in at the Worley Center?
• A) arts/crafts
• B) fishing
• C) music minicamp
• D) singing
 Pop quiz #1 - Answer
• B) fishing
 Food For Thought
• Schedule/Activities
• Every Tuesday morning at Community Baptist Church
• Showed our participants how to make the snack, and also what all they would
need in order to make it on their own at home
• Planning
• Brainstorming ideas for which snack we wanted to make
• Going to the store to buy ingredients and other supplies that would be needed
• Evaluation
• All participants thoroughly enjoyed the snacks we made them
• Were able to learn about new ingredients they might not have used or heard
of before
 Fun Fridays
• Schedule/Activities
• Almost every other Friday, we would host various Cookouts
activities and events for our participants
Bocce
• Planning Wheel of Mason
• Gathering supplies and other materials needed for
activities Movie/popcorn
• Having meetings to brainstorm ideas and to create a Karaoke
schedule for the day
Dodgeball
• Evaluation Trivia
• Outdoor activities seemed to have the most Meeting Shawn
participation
• Cookouts were definitely the most popular. Our
participants really enjoyed being able to eat outside
and have conversations with all their friends.
 Field Trips
• Schedule/Activities
• Two Thursdays during the internships
• Myself and Claudia accompanied Sheronica’s group on field
trips
• Lane’s Southern Orchards in Fort Valley and the Museum of
Aviation in Warner Robins

• Planning
• Sending newsletters out at the beginning of the week. It
included that our participants bring money for lunch, and for
any extra items they wanted to purchase
• Having permission slips signed so they are able to go

• Evaluation
• Always make sure to call the business prior to arrival
• Being able to travel outside the center to places that our
participants might not have ever been to was very exciting
 Projects
• Wishing Well
• Landscaping around checkerboard
court to make a useful recreational
area
• Bowling/Bag toss painted activity
area
 Wishing Well
• Explanation of project
• Made of wood provided by Barbara’s husband, who owns a saw
mill
• Created with the help of Robert, Neal, and myself
• It’s impact at the LEC
• These wishing wells were handcrafted
• Made to sell once they are finished and water sealed
• Educational way of showing our participants the art of
woodworking
• Evaluation
• Did not take long to accomplish since Neal and Robert had a
ton of experience
• Other participants liked to watch and give us their feedback,
since they were not able to participate due to the dangers of
wood cutting
 Landscaping / Recreational Area
• Explanation of Project
• Spacing planters out around our backyard for horticulture
• Placing seats around the checkerboard court for our
participants
• Picking up limbs and other debris to make a clean space
for our participants to enjoy
• It’s impact at the LEC
• Creating this space where our participants can relax, get
some physical activity, and hang out with their friends
• Evaluation
• Space is not used as often as the area right outside the
center
• Participants tended to only use this area when other
interns or staff were there
• Great area for our participants if it is regularly maintained
 Bowling/Bag Toss Painted Activity Area
• Explanation of Project
• Concrete slab painted to use for activity area
• Two activities – bowling and bag toss
• It’s impact at the LEC
• A useful space for out participants to have fun,
while also staying physically active
• Does not have to be used for it’s intended
purpose. Can be used for a variety of
activities/games
• Evaluation
• This space is great for when it’s cool outside
during the morning.
• Everyone seemed to really enjoy the space once it
was all complete
 Pop quiz #2
• What day(s) of the week do participants play brain games?
• A) Mondays
• B) Wednesdays
• C) Everyday
• D) Thursdays
 Pop quiz #2 - Answer
• C) Everyday
 Reflection
• This internship has given me a lot of new knowledge. I am very appreciative of all the staff
members and participants that I got the pleasure of working with this summer. I was able to
form many new bonds with everyone, and work in a setting that I had previously little experience
with.
• I acquired several new skills while working at The Life Enrichment Center. These included:
• Communication
• Team work
• Confidence
• Organization
Questions?