Arts & Crafts Programs

 
 

Meet Yolande van Heerden, Our Art Director

We are thrilled to introduce Yolande van Heerden, our talented Art Director at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Delta. Yolande, a well-known Greenwood art teacher, joined our team on September 1, 2023, bringing a wealth of experience and passion for nurturing creativity and entrepreneurship in young minds.

The Charm Bracelet Program:

  • Skills Beyond Art: Teens and kids (ages 6+) learn business basics—design, pricing, marketing—while building confidence.

  • Community Impact: Nearly 100% of bracelets sold at the 2025 Greenwood Spring Arts+Craft Market!

  • Celebrating Success: Members proudly hold up envelopes with their earnings, proving creativity can turn into real-world rewards.

  • Crafting Memories—and Entrepreneurs!

    Yolande has hit the ground running, collaborating with each Club’s director to tailor unique programs. Our member paint vibrant murals and explore science through art.

    She also launched the Charm Bracelet Program, a hands-on entrepreneurship project where youth design, price, and sell their creations—keeping 100% of the profits!

  • A young boy with a big smile holding up a colorful drawing of a hand with rainbow-colored fingers and a yellow sun on a white paper. Another girl in a red shirt is focused on her drawing at a table in the background. The setting has a bright yellow wall.

    The Montessori Touch

    A native of South Africa, Yolande blends Montessori and Reggio Emilia methods with real-world business skills.

    "Arts and crafts aren’t just fun—they’re a gateway to problem-solving, connection, and even entrepreneurship. Watching our members light up when they sell their bracelets? That’s the moment they see who they can become."

  • A young boy sitting at a blue table, using a small roller to paint a paper with blue paint.

    Unwinding and Connecting

    Children and teens arrive after school needing space to unwind. Arts and crafts—whether painting or bracelet-making—provide that outlet while teaching essential life skills.

    David Dallas, CEO:
    "The Charm Bracelet Program is a win-win. Kids express themselves, learn the value of their work, and our community gets to support their growth."

Four young girls standing in a classroom, each holding a colorful heart-shaped craft with a mosaic pattern, smiling and wearing backpacks.
A young girl with braided hair and beads, smiling at the camera, is sitting at a table in a classroom holding a small photo album with black and white pictures and flower decorations. The classroom has colorful posters and bulletin boards in the back
A young man with dreadlocks wearing a skull bandana and black jacket sitting at a table, cutting red paper with scissors, surrounded by craft supplies in a room with purple walls and folded chairs in the background.
Two children, a boy and a girl, sitting at a table with coloring pages and markers, making funny faces in a colorful classroom setting.
Teacher and young students in a classroom participating in an arts and crafts activity, working with colorful strips of material at a long table.
Two children with braided hair decorated with colorful beads are engaged in a hands-on science activity, stirring a substance in a clear plastic bin, with a classroom setting in the background.
Young boy using a roller to create black paint on a craft project, with a paper plate of black paint nearby, at a wooden table.
Four children and an adult sitting at a table, working on a knitting or weaving project with yarn and tools.

Support Our Mission: Make a Difference Today!

Your donation funds programs like these, empowering youth to create, innovate, and thrive.