Focus on the Special Needs Community: Paint by the Pond on Sunday, August 4th!

Paul Cézanne, The Pond, 1877-79, Oil on canvas, 47 x 56.2 cm. 

Tompkins Collection - Arthur Gordon Tompkins Fund, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

This year, Mindowaskin Park in Westfield (located at 385 E. Broad St.) will be the site for the kickoff of "Paint by the Pond." This event, designed for the special needs community, will take place on Sunday, August 4th, with two sessions (morning: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm; afternoon: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm). 

Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Union County Office for Persons with Disabilities and Special Needs and the Town of Westfield, this is a free event. However, you must pre-register—please visit ucnj.org/opdsn-reg to sign up. Call Manny Ramirez (Union County Office for Persons with Disabilities and Special Needs) at (908) 527-4781 or send an email to mramirez@ucnj.org for more information. See the press release below for full details.

Press Release

For Immediate Release: July 26, 2019

Freeholder Board to Sponsor “Paint by the Pond” for Special Needs Community at Mindowaskin Park, August 4th

Union County, NJ — Union County residents of all ages with special needs are invited to participate in Paint by the Pond, on Sunday, August 4, at Mindowaskin Park, located at 385 E. Broad Street in Westfield. This event is free and sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Union County Office for Persons with Disabilities and Special Needs and the Town of Westfield.

“Union County has hosted Paint by the Pond for the last few years at other County parks and it has received an enthusiastic response from the public,” said Union County Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “The Freeholder Board is proud to offer our special needs residents the opportunity to participate in this program that encourages their creativity while enjoying yet another beautiful park within our County.”

The Paint by the Pond project encourages participants to express themselves and create art by s painting cardboard model houses. The cardboard houses will be floated on the pond and participants will be allowed to take their creations home with them.

“I am thrilled to see the Paint by the Pond event come to my hometown,” said Freeholder Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded. “This collaboration with the Town of Westfield helps our special needs residents explore their artistic side.”

Paint by the Pond will have two sessions available for participants to choose from. The morning session runs from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and the afternoon session runs from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event is free to attend and is open to special needs residents of all ages, but pre-registration is required. To pre-register, residents should visit ucnj.org/opdsn-reg.

“We are thrilled to host Paint by the Pond in Westfield for the special needs community,” said Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle. “This is a terrific initiative that supports one of my administration’s key priorities to ensure that Westfield is accessible and inclusive for all. I am grateful to the County for providing programs like this for the benefit of our residents and taxpayers.”

For more information on the Paint by the Pond program, please contact Manny Ramirez at the Union County Office for Persons with Disabilities and Special Needs by phone at (908) 527-4781 or email at mramirez@ucnj.org.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.