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1.14.26 Heidi Danos
Heidi Danos is serving as the Interim Director of the Firefly Center for Art & Wellbeing in Fosston. She shared the background of the Firefly Center, including how it came to be, how they designed the space, and that they offer classes, meetings, memorials, and more. The Center is where creativity and wellbeing come together in an unbiased, creative environment that fosters community, inclusion, and equality with a focus on reducing the stigma about mental health.
Heidi received a grant from the NWMAC to create and distribute a self-published book titled “The Art of Connection: Building a Restorative Community Through Creativity” intended as a resource that will combine storytelling, along with instructions for hosting creative circle events, restorative justice, and will serve as a resource for broader community wellbeing. She hopes that the book finished and available soon. Find out more at fireflycenter.org, saeterconsulting.com, and listen for details.
2.20.24 Heidi Danos
Fosston Artist Heidi Danos spoke about the Firefly Center for Arts and Wellbeing in Fosston. She’s been involved in creating this unique center. The Firefly Center is reinventing the traditional approach to mental health care by creating a unique space that provides a place for all to connect through art and wellbeing events, but also brings professional mental health services to Fosston and the surrounding communities.
Here’s some background: Three years ago… a community group in Fosston discovered that Alluma, a regional mental healthcare provider, was looking to secure a permanent location in Fosston.
Firefly conducted feasibility studies with Artspace, a nonprofit organization that specializes in consulting with organizations like Firefly to create financially sustainable, artistic, multi-use spaces. The Center will rely on income from two main sources–rent from Alluma, a regional mental health service provider, as well as two 1-bedroom apartment spaces available to the general public for rent.
The Center will also rent space for community events, artists, and provide wellbeing programming, whether it be financial, social, physical, mental, spiritual, or more.
In June 2023 Firefly Center for Art & Wellbeing filed for 501c3 status and established a 12-member board, each bringing a unique skill sets to this project. A lease was signed in July and construction has begun.
Listen to learn more about the background and the progress of the center!