People have begun arriving at Ascend Services to take tours and help the Manitowoc organization celebrate its 65th anniversary.
We spoke with Deanna Genske, the Executive Director of Ascend, who told us about the newest addition to their lobby, a large mural.
She explained that the mural depicts the history of the organization which began as a wreath-making facility for those who are differently-abled.
The mural depicts Bj and LesAnn Halvorsen in the early years of Ascend, which began life as Holiday House.
“Then we moved into the era with our 3rd Executive Director Tom Kiel,” Genske explained. “The picture there shows him amongst people on the production floor. Then it moves into the time period where we went through our rebranding and became Ascend Services.”
Those who stop out and visit 2818 Meadow Lane today can get a tour of the facility, and learn about their latest venture, the expansion of the building that used to be the home of Brewer Furniture.
Ascend purchased the building in 1996 and is now working on renovating the second floor.
“That space next door has been serving children nights and in the summer all day long,” Genske said. “We decided to look at that second floor because for years it has been untouched. It has been storage.”
As for what they plan on doing with it, Genske said they are planning on expanding their children’s service capabilities.
“There’s some cute little rooms up there,” she revealed. “Those little rooms are going to become themed rooms for a child and their mentor to go” to focus on individual goals and outcomes.
Genske said some of the ideas for those themes include a Lego room, a multi-media room, an arts and crafts room, and a soft room.
Genske and her team will be guiding the tours of the main facility and will be available to answer any questions you may have.
Tours started at 9:00 this morning and will pick back up between 1:00 and 3:00 this afternoon.
