Children might enjoy birthdays more than anyone, but perhaps what they truly love is celebrating that special day when it arrives for someone -- or something – else.
As proof, children at the Mary Jo Oldham Center for Child Study (MJOCCS) at Southeastern Illinois College have been hard at working getting creative in anticipation of the center’s upcoming 40th anniversary.
“Our children and teachers are preparing their best artwork for the gallery show and for some special silent auction items,” Lori Sizemore, coordinator of the MJOCCS, said.
The April 6 event will feature an art display in the gallery, a memory wall, T-shirts for sale, a silent auction, a tour of the center, refreshments and a photo booth. SIC music student Kayla DePriest will play the piano and the SIC Concert Choir will perform.
“We hope to have a good turnout of students and their parents from the early days of the center to rekindle some of their very first friendships and see teachers that they may not have seen since the 70s and 80s,” Sue Beal, the center's first coordinator, said.
The event also marks the beginning of a fundraising campaign, since SIC is one of few colleges that have a childcare center similar to this one, according to the SIC website.
The center is accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, a division of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and has earned top-level ratings from the Illinois Department of Human Services.
The celebration will run from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in SIC's George T. Dennis Visual & Performing Arts Center Upper Lobby. Anyone with a connection to the center over the years is welcome to attend.
For more information about the celebration or to donate, call Lori Sizemore at 618-252-5400, ext. 3410.
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