AHHAH Arts Holding Hands and Hearts, Inc.

05/15/2023

Hiring opportunities prevail here at AHHAH! Currently, we are looking to hire children's yoga instructors to work with pre-schoolers in the Avondale/Thorndale area.

The role includes facilitation of classes, lesson planning, keeping track of attendance, and process notes of the program.

To apply you can use the QR code provided, visit our application page directly at www.ahhah.org/apply, or e-mail [email protected] to send in your application, or for more information!

05/12/2023

Let's P.U.L.L. together during this warm part of the year! Our Pop-Up Lending Libraries are always looking for stewards and volunteers to help maintain and stock our various stations across Chester County.

To give the gift of stories and knowledge back to your community, visit AHHAH.org/pull to find a P.U.L.L. station near you!

Who knows, you might find your next favorite story and pass the gift onto someone else!

05/10/2023

A vital read! Punishment doesn't stop at prisons; it's in probation and parole too.

05/10/2023

RSVP A-S-A-P! For the Restorative Justice Open House, on Wednesday, June 7th, 2023 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m at the Chester County Youth Center (CCYC)!

Make sure to put in a reservation sooner rather than later for this wonderful event centering our restorative justice projects and uplifting the works and voices of our participants! From guest speakers, to exhibits, food, and more there is so much to see and hear at this event!

Use the QR code or visit ahhah.org/register to RSVP your spot TODAY!

05/05/2023

CONGRATULATIONS to Chester County Imagination Library for enrolling over 5,000 eager, young readers in receiving a FREE BOOK once a month!

HELP US GET TO 7,500 ENROLLED BY THE END OF JULY! Use the QR Code provided with your phone, or visit: AHHAH.org/CCIL to register your child, TODAY!

05/03/2023

Congratulations Helping Hands Books!

05/03/2023

COME SEE, COME HERE: The Restorative Justice Open house on Wednesday, June 7th 2023 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. at the Chester County Youth Center!

Our AHHAH team wants to highlights the many voices, programs, and collaborations of our restorative justice programs and partners here in Chester County! We will host a broad array from our Justice Restored 3.0 Traveling Art Exhibit, to hosting speakers such as elected officials!

We hope to see you all there! Use the QR Code to RSVP, or visit: https://www.ahhah.org/register.html

05/01/2023

We would like to say a very special THANK YOU to the Home Builder Association, Pohlig Homes, and Chester County OIC for having a book drive for our P.U.L.L. program and staging our P.U.L.L. stations in Coatesville!

It is because of many of our community partners, P.U.L.L. stewards, and donors that reading is made accessible to the Chester County community for every station we fill!

04/29/2023

Arts Holding Hands and Hearts receives Mushroom Festival grant

How exciting! Here is an article where we are featured by The Daily Local News through being a grant through the The Mushroom Festival for the CCIL! Thank you for the award, and thank you to all of our supporters and partners!

KENNETT SQUARE — Arts Holding Hands and Hearts was awarded $1000 by the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival for the Chester County Imagination Library program which AHAH is the non-profit sponsoring D…

04/28/2023

Reading and being outside have psychological, physiological, and intellectual benefits! So why not combine them?

Reading outside has the potential to be easier on the eyes, reduce stress, increase mental acuity, and getting some vitamin D. Just make sure to put on some sunscreen!

04/27/2023

Thank you all who came to last night's Poetry and Art Making Workshop for the Justice Restored 3.0 Traveling Art Exhibit at the Coatesville Area Public Library!
..and a special THANK YOU to Oni Lasana and Enoch Williams for helping to table for AHHAH last night! They did a wonderful job representing the event and our organization, and we are grateful for their presence!

04/26/2023

Music | Kennett Festivals

Come and see us at the Kennett JazzFest this upcoming Saturday, April 29th at 12PM!

There will be food, music, and more and a portion of it will go to supporting our children's literacy and restorative justice programs for the Chester County community.

Hope to see you all there!

Kennett Festivals is an organization dedicated to creating and organizing music festivals.

04/26/2023

The first signs of sprouting gardens is one of the warmest surprises on the planet!

This month, our very own Emily Capolupo wants to guide you and your child through some springtime garden FUN as you read through the delightful book "The Surprise Garden," written by Zoe Hall and illustrated by Shari Halpern!

Check out Emily's blog on our website under: AHHAH.org/tips-for-tots to learn how to learn alongside "The Surprise Garden" or to check out her previous posts!

04/24/2023

THIS WEDNESDAY, April 26th, we will be having our COMMUNITY POETRY AND ART MAKING WORKSHOP at the Coatesville Area Public Library from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Here, we will reflect on the voices and work of the youth of the Justice Restored 3.0 Traveling Art Exhibit, as well as learning to find our own voice through creativity and justice.

We hope to see you there!

04/23/2023

04/23/2023

Thank you to the Kennett Mushroom Festival for a fun evening and supporting AHHAH. It was wonderful meeting and sharing stories with other recepients.

Last evening the Board held the Grant Reception at the IACL in Kennett Square, it was a wonderful time and so nice to meet all the 2022 Grant Recipients! Congratulations 🍄

04/19/2023

As a part of our Justice Restored Traveling Art Exhibit at Coatesville Area Public Library, we will be having a Community Poetry and Art Making Workshop on Wednesday, April 26th from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m! We hope to see you all there!

04/17/2023

04/17/2023

With Spring in full-swing, and many of us outside, let's dust off those old books we no longer want and drop a few off at a Pop-Up Lending Library (P.U.L.L) station near you!

P.U.L.L Stations are the efforts with the wider Chester County community to make reading more accessible! Many people in our community already come together to create and fill our P.U.L.L stations. Visit our website to find one near you today at AHHAH.org/PULL

04/14/2023

A beautiful quote by Mae C. Jamison, the first Black woman to ever head into orbit of our big, blue planet! Don't let yourself be limited by the expectations of other people, BE YOURSELF to the fullest degree possible.

04/12/2023

SAVE THE DATE! June 7th, 2023 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m AHHAH will be running an Open House at the Chester County Youth Center to highlight many of our Justice Restored programs with elected officials, community leaders, and YOU!

There will be several guest speakers, some of our program previews such as Film Making 101, art, music, food, and more! We hope to see you there!

04/10/2023

We wanted to take a moment to thank Malvern Bank, National Association for becoming one of our Bookworm Sponsors!

It is thanks to organizations such as Malvern Bank and other donors/co-partners that AHHAH and our programs are able to flourish here in the Chester County community!

Thank you!

04/07/2023

Happy Friday everyone, just one more day until the weekend!

"Great difficulties may be surmounted by patience and perseverance." - Abigail Adams.

What is an example where you had to use patience and perseverance to overcome obstacles in your week? Comment down below!

04/06/2023

AHHAH Programs in Bloom This April!

AHHAH Programs in Bloom This April!

From Chester County Imagination Library, to Justice Restored, our upcoming events, and more! We are so excited to share with you all the exciting news Arts Holding Hands and Hearts. Inc has for this April!

04/03/2023

Mornings and weekdays can be tough, but yoga has the potential to support stress management, mindfulness, and quality sleep!

Come join AHHAH CEO Jan Michener for "Good Morning Yoga," every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:00 AM. Worried about cost? Don't worry, it's free! But donations to AHHAH are definitely welcome to support our community literacy and mindfulness programs.

To join or learn more, go to AHHAH.org/community-programs to sign-up and learn more!

03/31/2023

Thank you so much Caln Township and Tom Parr for setting up another wonderful Pop Up Lending Library in Dawkins Park! It looks beautiful.

We’ve installed another Pop Up Lending Library created by the talented Tom Parr - this time in Dawkins Park (in the Brandywine Homes neighborhood). It’s all stocked and ready for use! AHHAH Arts Holding Hands and Hearts, Inc.

03/31/2023

According to BeginToRead and the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), children that are not reading proficient by fourth grade have a 78% to not be able to catch up!

Two-thirds of these children will end up in jail or on welfare.

AHHAH is doing our part to ensuring a higher-literacy rates and lower youth incarceration rates in Chester County! To learn more about our programs please visit:

www.AHHAH.org

For further reading please visit:
https://www.begintoread.com/research/literacystatistics.html

03/29/2023

In collaboration with Coatesville Area Public Library and Chester County Futures we will be exhibiting art and poetry by incarcerated Chester County youth at Coatesville Area Public Library!

The exhibit will be ran from March 31st until April 30th, followed by a Community Poetry and Art Making Workshop April 23rd, 2023 from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m!

We hope to see you there!

03/27/2023

WE ARE HIRING! Looking for all those interested in applying for our Expressive Arts Teaching Position!

For more information on position requirements, or to APPLY NOW, visit:
www.ahhah.org/apply

Or contact [email protected] for any further questions, comments, or concerns!

03/24/2023

According to Prison Policy Initiative 1 in 10 incarcerated youth are kept in ADULT JAILS AND PRISONS.

This leads to both inadequate access to age-appropriate services as an incarcerated minor, but also increased risk of exposure to physical and sexual violence.

To learn and aid AHHAH's Justice Restored program and our work with incarcerated youth, please visit:
https://www.ahhah.org/justice-restored.html

Further Reading: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/youth2019.html

03/23/2023

Come to the Fair Housing Celebration on Tuesday, April 11th, 2023 from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center!

Celebrating April as , KACS in partnership with the Office of State Representative Christina Sappey have set up a FREE COMMUNITY EVENT with information tables from community leaders, food, fun, and more!

We hope to see you there!

03/22/2023

We wanted to update you all that in just a few weeks, the registration for the Chester County Imagination Library has increased by over FIVE HUNDRED CHILDREN!

This means that once a month, a free book is sent to over 4,500 blossoming readers in Chester County.

Thank you to our partners Kennett Library and Justamere Foundation for helping make this a reality!

To register your child ages five and under, please visit:
ahhah.org/ccil

03/20/2023

Say HELLO! Since their preparation, the seedlings planted by youth at the Chester County Youth Center (CCYC) have begun to sprout and show their face to the world!

Thank you to our partners Trellis For Tomorrow for facilitating Environmental Healing and Learning program for our youth at CCYC!

03/19/2023

When parents practice good screen habits, it rubs off on the whole family | KQED

Children learn and imitate others based on what they see others say and do! Establishing healthy screen habits in your own life can show children how to lead their own life with their screen habits.

Sleep therapists Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright offer strategies caregivers can use to shape family practices around phones, social media, and screen time.

03/17/2023

ANOTHER AHHAH! MOMENT: Children actually prefer NON-FICTION, while adults prefer FICTION!

What non-fiction do children you know love? What was your first non-fiction interest you remember? COMMENT DOWN BELOW!


This was according to a 2015 research journal called "Fact or Fiction? Children’s Preferences for Real Versus Make-Believe Stories," by Jennifer L. Barnes, Emily Bernstein, and Paul Bloom.

For further reading please visit: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177
/0276236614568632