Swann Special Care Center

Past Projects 2006

In April 2006, Fox Development Corporation named the conference room at the Strata Building in the Research Park the Swann Conference Room to honor a new piece of art work unveiled during the Boneyard Arts Festival created by artist Michael Ferrell, a 21-year-old resident of Swann Special Care Center. Swann Special Care Center is a housing facility dedicated to caring for severely handicapped children.

Past Projects 2002

In 2002, with start-up funds donated by the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois, Swann Special Care Center developed an art program designed to provide income-generating opportunities for its residents.  Residents at Swann Special Care Center are individuals with severe and profound developmental disabilities.   Through the ongoing funding efforts of the Resource Development Center (RDC) staff, the program is fully operational and residents produce art work in the center located at Stoneybrook Plaza. 

With the help of volunteers and SSCC staff, the residents participate in art activities designed by Charlotte Brady, volunteer art teacher and consultant.  Residents gain opportunities for self-expression while working on choice making skills, range of motion, and tactile stimulation. 

The finished product’s are almost always abstract, quite unique, and emphasize the ability of each of the residents rather than a particular object, landscape, or material.  Because most of the residents have some kind of visual impairment, staff use materials that have a variety of texture, scent, or sounds, if applicable.

The residents’ work is transferred into digital images and then used to create greeting cards, which are sold at the center and at area craft shows.  All income generated from sales of products goes toward supplies and equipment that residents need at the art center.

Peter Fox, Chairmen of Fox Development Corporation, received one of the Swann Special Care Center greeting cards from Jim Barham, a member of the Swann Special Care Center executive board, and decided to have it enlarged to hang in the Strata Building Conference Room in the Research Park.  The Conference room was then named the Swann Conference Room to distinguish the new artwork. 

Artist Michael Ferrell is a 21 year old resident of Swann Special Care Center.  He attends the Page II day training program.  His medical diagnosis includes Cerebral Palsy with secondary spastic quadriparesis, profound mental retardation, and seizure disorder, history of congenital toxoplasmosis, severe contractures, and scoliosis.  Michael is very social and is always smiling.  He responds to bright colors and enjoys soft music.  His art work shows great expression and movement, and is a wonderful new addition to the Swann Conference Room.

For information on the greeting cards from Swann Special Care Center Contact:  Max Redmond or Zipura Matias, Resource Development Center, 2418 W. Springfield, Champaign, IL 61821, 217-398-3710, email: sscc-rdc@sbcglobal.net