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ODA was Founded
in June 2001and is a Chapter of the Society of Decorative Painters. Our Mission is to Stimulate Interest in and Appreciation for Decorative Painting. |
Ocala Decorative Artists (ODA) is a chapter of the Society of Decorative Painters. Our first meeting was in 2001; we received our charter from the Society in 2002. We started as a small group, mostly strangers, united only by our shared interest in decorative painting. The only other thing we had in common is that we all lived in the beautiful rolling hills and horse country of central Florida.
We have come a long way since then. We have monthly meetings with interesting classes, seminars with travel teachers a few times a year, and several other events that revolve around our love of art. We are widely diverse in style and taste, shape
and size, but we have our painting passion in common. Friendships have been made that will endure the rest of our lives and we have discovered that many of us have more in common than the search for the perfect brush.
We support several charities. We paint Memory Boxes for the infant bereavement
program that is operated by Tole Friends. Parents who have lost a baby at birth or shortly after are given the box for whatever mementos they may have of their child. Unfortunately, there is a large need for this program. ODA paints more than 100 Memory Boxes a year. www.memoryboxes.org. At present we are supporting 2 hospitals.
Women in domestic violence shelters often leave home with nothing but the clothes they are wearing and have no toiletries or cosmetics. ODA paints small tote bags and fills them with cologne, lipstick and similar personal items. These women need these little things that can boost their battered self-esteem and help them feel able to face the world again. We also fill Photo boxes with puzzles/games etc. for the children at the shelter.
We have also been involved with a local therapeutic riding center called Stirrups and Strides who provide therapeutic horseback riding to anyone with physical, mental and emotional challenges. We have painted chairs for their annual fundraising auction, “From Seats to Saddles”.
We have come a long way since then. We have monthly meetings with interesting classes, seminars with travel teachers a few times a year, and several other events that revolve around our love of art. We are widely diverse in style and taste, shape
and size, but we have our painting passion in common. Friendships have been made that will endure the rest of our lives and we have discovered that many of us have more in common than the search for the perfect brush.
We support several charities. We paint Memory Boxes for the infant bereavement
program that is operated by Tole Friends. Parents who have lost a baby at birth or shortly after are given the box for whatever mementos they may have of their child. Unfortunately, there is a large need for this program. ODA paints more than 100 Memory Boxes a year. www.memoryboxes.org. At present we are supporting 2 hospitals.
Women in domestic violence shelters often leave home with nothing but the clothes they are wearing and have no toiletries or cosmetics. ODA paints small tote bags and fills them with cologne, lipstick and similar personal items. These women need these little things that can boost their battered self-esteem and help them feel able to face the world again. We also fill Photo boxes with puzzles/games etc. for the children at the shelter.
We have also been involved with a local therapeutic riding center called Stirrups and Strides who provide therapeutic horseback riding to anyone with physical, mental and emotional challenges. We have painted chairs for their annual fundraising auction, “From Seats to Saddles”.
