Nurturing from the HeART (NFTH) offers expressive arts sessions for the most vulnerable folks in our community. NFTH has partnered with several community agencies such as Caring Network (support for teen mothers). Family & Children's Services (foster care services and respite care), Parent to Parent (offering support for children with disabilities and their families), Ministry With Community (a day shelter and soup kitchen), Healthy Babies/Healthy Start (offers free exercise, education, and case management for families), Lifespan Hospice and others!
Using the arts as our tools (music, art, reading, writing, movement, theater, etc.) each session brings joy, comfort, education, exploration of inner self, and stress reduction to participants. NFTH offers a Lullaby Group (infants and parent/caregiver), Rhythm and Rhyme Group (infants through preschool and parent/caregiver), Empowered Mom=Empowered Family (pregnant women including teen mom's group), and more. We hold our sessions at agencies that we partner with.
About Our Leaders
Janice Marsh-Prelesnik, Executive Director
Janice Marsh-Prelesnik, MA: Since 1981 Janice has been the owner and director of Creative Health Arts, a natural health care business offering the services of expressive arts sessions, home birth midwifery, massage therapy, and herbalism. She also has worked as a musician and music teacher in various groups and settings. In 2010 Janice developed expressive arts sessions for teen mothers in Calhoun County called Mothering From the HeART. The program was a success and is now being offered in the greater Kalamazoo County area with a new name, Nurturing from the HeART. Janice also leads expressive arts and music sessions with seniors in various locations. She teaches these modalities at conferences around the United States and England and is the author of the book, The Roots of Natural Mothering. Janice is most proud of her accomplishment of raising her four grown children.
Rachel Downey, Children's Program Manager
Rachel Downey: Rachel has over 10 years of experience in child care. She specializes in discipline techniques, creative play, and early childhood development as well as a background in theatre. Among some of her work experience, Rachel has worked for the Chicago Park District running an after school program, and was an assistant preschool teacher at Christopher House in Chicago, IL. In Kalamazoo, MI she has taught at First Care Day Care, Cristin's Creative Corner, and From Page to Stage Theatre camps.
