By Blake Deshazo

The Selma Times-Journal

Black Friday has come and gone. The unbeatable deals on gizmos and gadgets have run their course. But the Cahaba Center for Mental Health has a deal that can’t be found on any store shelf.

The center is selling handmade ceramics that were crafted by the adults with developmental disabilities that attend the center.

“We’ve got the entire process here. We start from scratch, and we go all the way to finish,” said Floyd Sanders, a ceramics teacher at the center. “They pour it, they take it out of the molds, and they also clean it and do all the painting.”

But it isn’t just the ceramic Christmas trees and snowmen lighting up, it’s also the faces of the ones creating them.

“It gives them a sense of pride to be able to do something, and a sense of accomplishment to see it from start to finish,” Sanders said. “I can’t describe the feeling of joy I have in seeing them complete a piece.”

The ceramics will be sold at the Cahaba Center for Mental Health’s annual Christmas program – a tradition that started in 1979. They are priced at $30 and under, and there are more than 100 different pieces to choose from.

The money that comes from the arts and crafts sale will go right back into the center. It will be used to purchase supplies for the ceramics and other programs that help the adults with disabilities.

“It helps the whole center get into the Christmas spirit, and it’s something we can all do together,” said Carrie Bearden, the Director of Developmental Disabilities Services. “It’s just a tradition that I think everybody enjoys.”

Bearden encouraged the community to join them in the celebration to support the work done by the center’s adults.

“We try to have it during a time of day when people can stop by and pop in, or even take an early lunch break,” Bearden said.

But the arts and crafts aren’t the only thing on display for the community to see. The center’s choir of about 30 to 40 people will perform Christmas carols for visitors.

“It would mean a lot to the people that are performing to have an audience to appreciate their hard work,” Bearden said. “They have been practicing all year, and they are excited about it.”

The Christmas program will held Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. at the Cahaba Center for Mental Health on Medical Parkway.