Mission Moment: Expanding Possibilities through Art and Digital Literacy

A young man is shown smiling as he paints a flower with a gear for a bloom on the wall in the NW Works Digital Literacy lab.

A young woman is shown smiling at the camera as she paints with pink and yellow paint on a flower with a lightbulb for a bloom in the Digital Literacy lab at NW Works.

A middle aged man is shown smiling at the camera as he pauses mid-paint. The man is painting a blue and white flower on the wall in the Digital Literacy lab at NW Works.

An older gentleman smiles at the camera as he is shown with a paint brush in his hand while painting a pink lightbulb on the wall of NW Works’ Digital Literacy lab.

A middle aged woman is shown smiling and slightly hunched over as she paints the lower part of a stem on a flower on the wall of NW Works’ Digital Literacy lab.

A painted and complete Digital Literacy lab is shown. The mural is complete with flowers that have gears and lightbulbs for blooms, and a message above the scene that says, “Learning never ends”. The computers in the room are shown set up at desks.

The Digital Literacy Lab is nearing completion and we have so many people and organizations to thank because of it! Thanks to the combined efforts of staff, team members, and community partners, what was an ideal and possibility just 18 months ago is now becoming reality— and our team had an instrumental part in this process! When Steven, Madison, Smitty, and the rest of their peers stepped into the Digital Literacy Lab they were excited to paint and have a hand in expressing their creativity on the walls of NW Works. Now, when anyone walks into the Digital Literacy Lab, they will see the hard work and creativity of our team, and soon, we will see the benefits that come from this initiative.

The Digital Literacy Lab represents empowerment and will help expand possibilities for the people we serve to build skills, explore career pathways, and gain greater independence. This mission feels especially timely as we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month as team members at NW Works will have increased opportunities to grow as jobseekers. A special thanks is owed to various community partners including the Edward Jones Team for painting the lab walls during the United Way Day of Caring, Navy Federal Credit Union for gifting equipment to jumpstart our Digital Literacy Lab, and Michael’s for donating art supplies that can assist with our lab.

As one Edward Jones volunteer shared during the Day of Caring, “I was worried about NW Works after COVID. It’s great to see that the organization is growing, vibrant and expanding the mission in a way that is reaching more people. That’s why I volunteered to be here today.”

Thanks to the dedication of our staff, community members, and partners alike who ensure daily that our organization can grow and expand our mission to reach more individuals, all while encouraging those we currently serve to build skills, develop confidence, maximize their independence, and feel secure expressing their creativity.