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Dwayne Szot to lead activity at The Warren Center's Celebration

The Warren Center's 50th Anniversary Celebration to be held April 21

DALLAS (April 17, 2018)—The Warren Center, a nonprofit agency that advocates for and serves children impacted by developmental disabilities and their families, will celebrate its 50th birthday with a 50th Anniversary Celebration Saturday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Richardson, 503 N. Central Expressway, Richardson, TX 75080. The festive afternoon is packed with family activities, unlimited photo opportunities and catered food, and topped with headlining art activities by Dwayne Szot, founder and president of Zot Artz.

From the Midwest, Szot grew up in a foster home in which his foster siblings had cerebral palsy. As a result, he spent most of his childhood interacting with children and adults with disabilities. As he grew older, Szot developed an interest in mechanics and graphic arts, which led him to attend the Kendall College of Art and Design at Ferris University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and later received a Master of Fine Arts from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Heavily influenced by his upbringing, Szot worked with special education departments, hospitals and residential facilities. During this time he invented the first “painting wheelchair,” as well as various adaptive art tools for children of all abilities.

In 1990, Szot founded Zot Artz with a grant funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Rockefeller Foundation. Zot Artz’s mission is to create adaptive art tools for preschoolers, young children, teens, adults and seniors of all abilities and physical impairments, and has curated hundreds of special art events around the globe. The organization also makes these tools available to teachers, therapists, residential providers, hospitals and parks, and is now bringing the tools to the Dallas-Fort Worth community. In the last decade, Zot Artz tools and interactive experiences have been featured in multiple media outlets, including the Huffington Post and PBS.

“We are very excited to bring Dwayne Szot’s unique style of artistic expression to our children,” said Amy Spawn, executive director of The Warren Center. “It allows all the children we serve, no matter what limitations they face, to enjoy art and participate in creating something memorable.”

Presented by Reliant Energy, The Warren Center’s 50th Anniversary Celebration will include countless activities for the whole family, photo opportunities with superheroes and princesses alike, and balloon sculptures. In addition, a special award ceremony will take place during the event to honor community leaders who continue to advocate for children with developmental disabilities.

For more information about The Warren Center or to learn more about the 50th Anniversary Celebration, visit www.thewarrencenter.org.

 

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Tuesday, 17 April 2018