St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center Presents 6th Annual Alley Cat Art Festival on October 14th

San Diego, CA, August 26, 2011— St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, a non-denominational adult day-training facility for adults with developmental disabilities, will host the 6th annual Alley Cat Art Festival, this fall, in Downtown El Cajon on Main Street and Arts Alley.

Promoting community participation and partnerships, the Alley Cat Art Festival will feature art and businesses from around the County, and include original work by St. Madeleine’s Sophie’s Gallery adult artists with developmental disabilities.

This year’s event will also host the first-time art show, Urban Tales: Exploring the relationship between individual growth and sense of community through art. The artists’ entries from the show will be judged with $1,500 worth of prizes awarded to winners.

In 2006, the first Alley Cat Committee was formed, and together they created a grassroots art event as a collaboration of community arts groups, museums, restaurants and other El Cajon businesses. Focused on building a vital arts district in Downtown El Cajon, the Alley Cat Art Festival is designed for the enjoyment of art lovers and community members alike.

Recognizing the benefits that the event brings to businesses in Downtown El Cajon, the El Cajon City Council voted to provide $5,000 in support of this year’s festival.

“Alley Cat is an important local event that attracts residents and visitors to Downtown, which helps support local businesses and promote the area as an arts and culture zone,” said Debra Turner-Emerson, Executive Director for St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center. “It also highlights what El Cajon has to offer its residents and the greater San Diego community.”

In addition to the unique combination of community partnership and art excellence, the October 14th festival will feature music, a classic car show, shopping, as well as food, wine and beer tastings.

“As a business in Downtown El Cajon, Sophie’s Gallery & Gift Shop, a program of St. Madeleine’s, participates in Alley Cat on behalf of the students they serve,” said Turner-Emerson. “At Sophie’s Gallery, individuals with developmental disabilities are able to create and sell their artwork.”

Event details:

What: 6th Annual Alley Cat Art Festival, presented by St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center

When: Friday, October 14, 2011
5p.m. to 10p.m.

Where: Downtown El Cajon, Main Street and Arts Alley

Cost: Free to attend event; tickets for wine tasting portion required.
Vendor & Ticket Information: Contact Jane Moore, Event Coordinator: jane2@cox.net

For more information on St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, visit www.stmsc.org.

St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center (SMSC) is a non-denominational program helping nearly 400 people with developmental disabilities, their families and communities, discover, explore, and nurture their full potential. Located in El Cajon, California, 20 miles east of Downtown San Diego, the organization provides service to the greater San Diego communities.

SMSC offers progressive programs and services with a teacher-to-student ratio ranging from1:3 to 1:8, including Work Activity and Supported Employment; Behavior Modification; Computer Lab, Organic Garden & Worm Farm; Culinary Arts; Aquatics; Aerobics, Fitness, Yoga and Dance; Sophie’s Gallery Art Program (the first program of its kind in the region, it has three sites: SMSC’s main campus; Downtown El Cajon; and NTC Point Loma); Music Therapy; Reading; Speech Therapy/ Sign Language; and a Senior Program for students age 50+ (the first program of its kind in the region). SMSC also operates its own fleet of 30 paratransit vans and buses that transport students to and from SMSC each day, to work sites and on field trips.

For more information on St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, visit www.stmsc.org.

St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center
Address: 2119 East Madison Avenue El Cajon CA 92019-1111
Telephone: (619) 442-5129

This release was published on openPR.