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“Get those creative juices pumping!” said Lisa Feltz, owner and operator of Meltdown DiY Art Studio, as she welcomed each social clubber into her shop.  Mike, Timmy, and Josh with smiles all around! Prior to starting her own business, Lisa was a special educator in the school system for many years. And her experience shows! One-by-one she greeted each participant with a smile and engaged in a conversation that was seamless and unique to them—guiding them in choosing the best colors that fit their style.
Then, we stepped right up for a brief introduction to pottery glazing 101! “No lights on darks. Darks on lights.” Got it. “Glaze is not paint. It will dry differently.” Understood. 
We were led back to our table and we glazed our bowls, plates, and mugs. Besides Lisa offering her continued expertise and support throughout the glazing process, the best part of the night was simply sitting, painting, and talking. That is the purpose of social club, right?! Conversations are scary sometimes. What do I say? How do I start? What do we even talk about? Sometimes connections are hard to make. Luckily, activities bring us together and help bridge that gap! “What are you painting?!” “Hey! That looks cool!” “Can I borrow that color?” “You’re making a superman symbol?! I love superman!”
Social clubs, quite literally, give us something to talk about! From there, we can use these skills and apply them to the real world. Plus, it’s fun! Before you know it, the room is filled with chatter and laughter—with companionship and camaraderie.  Britt, Ian, and Mike having a great time!  Jared & Lauren designing their bowls. The only sad part of all of this was that it had to end! Plus, we had to practice our patience waiting to see our finished product after they were heated in the kiln! All in all, an amazing social club! Barrier-Free highly recommends Meltdown DiY Art Studio in Eldersburg! Thank you, Lisa, for a great experience! 
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Barrier-Free's November social outing was full of friends, delicious food, and wonderful times! We were also fortunate enough to host this Social Club outing on a a Greene Turtle Funds with Friends fundraiser day! Barrier-Free earned 20% of the bill for anyone who dined at Greene Turtle in support of Barrier-Free. Here are some highlights from the social clubs hours (6:30 - 8pm). If we missed you earlier in the day, we appreciate your support and presence.  Social Clubbers having an awesome time together! Our waiter Kevin was incredible and such an asset to the Greene Turtle team.   Barrier-Free families coming out to support and take in the good times! Pictured above: Actors Gary & John, and the Boyle and Nuzzo families. Pictured below: Actor Jenny with her boyfriend, Richard, and support staff, Jenny Yingling.   Smiles all around from our Barrier-Free bunch! Pictured above: Actor Geoffrey and the Wolf Family. Pictured below: The Silverman Family.   Support throughout the community! Pictured above: McDaniel Staff, from the Student Accessibility & Support Services (SASS) Office! Pictured below: Ernie & Darlene Burr, parents to Britt & Lauren, spreading their Barrier-Free love.  A special thank you to The Arc Carroll County for sending in so many clients to enjoy a meal together in support of Barrier-Free! Pictured below: An Arc client enjoying her night out!   We'll see you at our next Social Club!
It was a brisk fall night when our Barrier-Free social clubbers met at the entrance of Screamland Farms, Maryland’s Premiere in-your-face haunt for our first Social Club outing!  Our first stop was the food stand. To warm up before the sun went down, friends filled up on chicken tenders, fries, and hot chocolate. Then the real fun began! Some of us sat around a bonfire to stay warm (and away from the scary). Britt took the rest of the group to the spooky things. Their first trip was through the Hayride of Haunts, where participants sat in a truck bed full of hay, and rode through the dark as monsters tried scare them. The group even saw Sam, a Barrier-Free actor, when he jumped up out of the cornfield. One social clubber, Grace, said that a crazy clown offered her a “haircut,” but it would entail cutting off her scalp as well! Needless to say, we're very glad Grace didn’t take her up on that offer. Unfortunately, photos were not allowed on the Hayride, but trust us when we say it was spooky! We also had a huge surprise while waiting at the bonfire! Langston, our newest social clubber and long-time friend, arrived! We were so excited to see him! After everyone caught up on the happenings of the hayride, Langston joined the crew on the walk-through of Barn of Bedlam. I personally can’t say what went on inside the house, but from the outside, we heard screams and saw a very large man with a bloody apron and chainsaw chase our friends out of the building! So scary! Check out the video of everyone’s reactions below! After the barn, some of us waited in line for a fortune teller. The rest walked around to see some of the haunted displays. Then our night came to an end. We waved goodbye to everyone and told them how much we were looking forward to seeing them again. We are so grateful to everyone who showed up and made our first Social Club outing of the year a huge success. Our November meetup will be held at The Greene Turtle in Westminster. It will also serve as a fundraiser to raise money for future programming! .
Social Club Forum RecapOn Thursday September 26th, Barrier-Free participants, families, counselors, and friends gathered at the Westminster Community Center to discuss and collaborate about the future of Social Club - while enjoying some ice cream! Together we brainstormed a long list of potential social club outings. Here's what was shared:
 Over 35 in attendance at our Barrier-Free Ice Cream Social! We also discussed some key points including - what we wanted to get out of Social Club, days, times, transportation, and cost. What We Want to Get Out of Social Club:
Days/Times:
Transportation: **Unfortunately Barrier-Free is not a large service agency and does not own company vans/vehicles. We brainstormed some transportation options.**
Cost:
 Barrier-Free Staff getting set-up for Ice Cream Social! Pictured left to right: Sandra Roll (Board Treasurer, Concessions Manager, mother to Britt & Lauren Burr), Laura Stall (Barrier-Free Content Creator, Board Secretary) Next Steps: In the coming days, we will announce the outings, dates, and costs for Barrier-Free Social Clubs in October, November, and December. By announcing in advance, it is our hope that Social Clubbers and families can plan accordingly for dates, costs, and transportation. Announcements will be made via email, website, and social media. Make sure you're on our email lists and social media to be the first to hear!
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7520 Main Street #103 Sykesville, MD 21784 | Email: info@barrierfreemd.com | Phone: 301-799-8669 (text preferred) | EIN: 84-2964880
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We are proud to be funded in part by a Community Arts Development Grant from the Carroll County Arts Council and the Maryland State Arts Council
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We are proud to be funded in part by a Safeway Foundation Grant
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We are proud to be funded in part by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council
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