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DALLAS — In honor of Autism Awareness Month, a local group of trained occupational therapists welcomed children of all ages and abilities to a “Play and Plant” event and fundraiser on Sunday morning.

Well-Nurtured Development was founded by occupational therapist Mary Vanesko in 2018 and employs a variety of different exercises and techniques, all geared toward family-centered wellness.

“My particular area of focus in therapy is on the family,” Vanesko said. “I’ve been working with families for over 15 years now.”

Well-Nurtured holds classes, sessions and special events like Sunday’s fundraiser out of their “Holistic Health Hub,” a home-based studio in Dallas.

On Sunday, families and their children flocked to the Hub for a morning filled with music, paints, plants, and a whole lot of fun.

“They’re having a blast,” said Chris Sanders as his two sons, 9-year-old Jack and 6-year-old Reed, finished up the session. “We’re finding more events like this one now than we have ever before, awareness is really growing.”

Inside the Hub, a series of yoga mats could be seen arranged in a circle, while a long table held paints and plants, hence the “Play and Plant” name.

Logan and Connor Reeves, another pair of brothers at Sunday’s event, proudly showed off their plants to reporters as their mother, Katie Reeves, watched on.

“This is my favorite part,” Logan said as he pulled a small volcanic rock from his plant.

“It’s so nice for the boys to be able to engage with other people, especially with the pandemic going on,” Reeves said.

At the end of the session, Vanesko had all of the children sit down on their mats, and passed around a ball to everyone. Once each child would get the ball, they would practice some breathing and tell the group one thing that they had enjoyed or learned from the event.

“We work a lot on things like breathing and meditation,” Vanesko said. “Our goal is to work on social and emotional wellness, as well as engaging with others.”

The events cost $20 to sign up for, with all proceeds going directly to Autism Awareness NEPA, a local nonprofit which aims to enhance awareness and to promote and support community programs for individuals with autism in Luzerne County.

Well-Nurtured Development holds ‘Plant and Play’ fundraiser