​​The Moving Forward Towards Independence Newsletter, "MOMENTUM", November 2018 Issue has been posted!  

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​This issue features articles about:
* A review of the Moving Forward arts and crafts sale 
* The importance of yoga and meditation class
* A resident's creative and unique artwork
* A resident's experience competing all year in Special Olympics
* An overview of some of the best classes offered at Moving Forward


  More to come in December!!!
                               
Please click here to read this month's edition:

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​The Moving Forward Towards Independence Newsletter, "MOMENTUM", September 2018 Issue has been posted!  

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​This issue features articles about:
* Our new garden and its caretaker here at Moving Forward
* Artist of the month
* How our residents fared at the Napa County Fair with their submissions
* A review of our "glamping" trip to the Petaluma KOA


  More to come in October!!!
                               
Please click here to read this month's edition:

In June, many awesome activities will be available for our residents to participate in here at Moving Forward.  Here are a few highlights:

* Kayaking Trip
* San Francisco Giants Game
* Scandia
* California Academy of Science
* Napa Silverados Baseball Game

To see all of the activities offered this month, as well as the classes scheduled at Moving Forward for the month of June, click here:

​Moving Forward Towards Independence is proud to announce that we now offer a mentor program called Moving Forward Ambassadors; a program which was originally brought to our attention by Ellen Sweigert. On April 29th , we had our first meeting for residents who were interested in becoming mentors. We discussed what a mentor is, and how each mentor will use their individual strengths and skills to assist other residents at MFTI. The energy in the meeting grew as everyone started to share their own strengths and discover how they could be a great mentor! Many in attendance have experience being mentors through other programs, while for others this will be a first-time experience. The Moving Forward Ambassadors group will empower mentors by building their confidence in their own skills and give their peers a chance to learn from each other. We are excited for the opportunity this group will offer our residents, and can’t wait to see how our mentors use their skills to build each other up!

​Moving Forward Towards Independence has now been participating in the CanDo Napa Food Project for 9 months, and wow we’ve donated a lot of food! We’ve had 14 residents and staff members collecting and donating food every 2-months which supports others in our community. This last month, Moving Forwards Towards Independence donated just over 100 lbs of food! Between our donations, and the donations of our Napa neighbors, we collected a whopping 11,072 lbs of food! It has been such an honor to contribute to the CanDo Napa Food Project, and to help out others in our community.

Moving Forward residents just came back from an exciting trip to Monterey and Santa Cruz!  Check out our latest Newsletter with a summary of the trip:  April Newsletter. 

Moving Forward continues to offer a wide variety of fun and informative classes.  More fun events and classes have been scheduled for the month of May.  Here are a few of the Highlights:

*  Picnic and lawn games at the park
* Trip to the Fairfield Mall
* The Napa Farmer's Market
* Sonoma Square
* A car show


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Click here to view the Event and Class Calendars for May:

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​To view photos from the trip, click here:

In April 2018 Moving Forward Towards Independence took a weekend trip to Monterey Bay! We drove down to Pacific Grove Friday night, and stayed at the beautiful Asilomar Conference Grounds right on the ocean. That night we were able to roast marshmallows while listening to the sounds of the waves in the distance. On Saturday we drove up to Santa Cruz to see the Walton Lighthouse, and spend the afternoon on the Boardwalk! Everyone was able to do something different on the boardwalk from playing arcade games to riding rollercoasters. That night we were treated to a fire and hot dog dinner on the beach by Jan and David Sweigert. Sunday morning after a delicious breakfast at Asilomar, we explored the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Here we were able to see jelly fish, sea otter feedings, learn what creatures lurk in the deep, and enjoy a delicious lunch with a beautiful view of the ocean. With so much packed into a few short days, this weekend was definitely one to remember!
  

To view a video of the awesome trip, click here:

Moving Forward residents will be attending many fun activities in April.  Here are some highlights:

* Monterey Bay Aquarium!!!
* Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk!!!
​* Dive into Color ceramics painting
​* Marine Mammal Center Tour
​* Movie Matinee
* Flea market

Also, Special Olympic sports are in full swing in April with the following sports being offered:
* Bowling
* Bocce ball
* Volleyball
* Swimming
* Tennis

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​Pictured:  Moving Forward residents enjoying Special Olympics Swimming, a weekend outing to the Benicia Tea house, and our Arts and Crafts class. 

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The Moving Forward Towards Independence Newsletter, "MOMENTUM", February 2018 Issue has been posted!  

​This issue features articles about:
* Success Spotlight: a resident's vocational success story
* Moving Forward's night at the ballet
* Artist of the month
​* An article about our creative Arts and Crafts class
* An article about our expressive Journaling class



  More to come in March!
                               
Please click here to read this month's edition:

This month at Moving Forward, we have another packed schedule of fun and entertaining activities to offer to our residents. Here are some highlights:

Superbowl Party
Benicia Tea Room
DiRosa Preserve Art Tour
Sleeping Beauty Ballet at the Lincoln Theater
Tour of Castello di Amorosa 

To see all of the classes, groups, clubs, and activities planned for February,
​ please visit our "Calendars" page:

Each year, Moving Forward Towards Independence residents and staff get together for a fun-filled and joyous Holiday Party.  Everyone is encouraged to either dress up or dress down in an "ugly sweater".  Regardless of attire, each and everyone that attends has a wonderful time.  This year we had a round of fun games.  Competition was fierce, yet one resident prevailed over staff and residents alike to become the "candy cane game" champion.  Everyone was treated to a feast of a meal for dinner.  Residents made some touching speeches and toasts.  Our wonderful sing-a-long group lead by music directors Jack and Ken performed a medley of holiday music.  It was a great performance enjoyed by one and all!  It was especially nice to see new members of the group perform in front of their peers for the first time. We ended the evening with a secret santa gift exchange.  All evening, holiday spirit ran high, and it was a pleasure to celebrate the holidays with each and every staff and resident at Moving forward.  Happy Holidays!!!!