Able ARTS Work is throwing an ice cream social at its Bixby Knolls headquarters on August 29, marking 44 years of serving people with developmental disabilities and autism across Southern California while raising money to pay off the very building where the party will happen. The event runs from 1 to 4 p.m. at 3841 Atlantic Ave. and folds in live music, art activities and a silent auction, with general admission tickets priced at $25.
The fundraiser doubles as a birthday party and a building-fund pitch, according to the Press Telegram. Proceeds go toward the organization's ongoing “A Home of Our Own” capital campaign, which needs to raise $250,000 a year to retire the loan on its Atlantic Avenue headquarters. Once the building is paid off, that money can instead flow directly into programs and services, the paper reports.
Kristy Glass, Able ARTS Work's senior director of community advancement, told the Press Telegram that the ice cream social format is a callback to the organization's earliest days, saying it was popular when the nonprofit first opened. The celebration will include an ice cream truck, keyboard performances from student musicians, a band playing acoustic classic rock hits, a zine library and limited-edition merchandise, per the same report.
From a Rented Storefront to a Building of Its Own
Able ARTS Work traces its roots to 1982, when board-certified music therapist Helen Dolas founded the organization in Long Beach under the name Arts & Services for Disabled, Inc. while completing her master's degree in special education. Dolas, now the organization's founder and CEO, has also served since 1984 as Clinical Training Director of an American Music Therapy Association-approved internship program and sits on the music therapy faculty at California State University, Northridge.
For four decades the nonprofit moved between leased spaces as commercial rents in Long Beach climbed, a cycle that ended in June 2022 when it purchased its permanent headquarters at 3841 Atlantic Ave., according to the Long Beach Post. That purchase eliminated the recurring displacement of relocating four times in 40 years and is estimated to save roughly $76,000 annually that would otherwise go to rent, the outlet reported. The capital campaign born from that purchase, which Glass says began in 2022, is what the ice cream social now supports.
A Gallery, a Clinic and Programs Across Three Cities
Able ARTS Work's public-facing gallery sits apart from its headquarters, inside the EXPO Arts Center at 4321 Atlantic Ave. in Bixby Knolls. The gallery relocated there from 2nd and PCH in January 2022 to lower facility costs and share space with organizations like the African American Cultural Center of Long Beach, according to the Signal Tribune. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and to the public during First Fridays, showcasing original artwork and handmade items designed by current and past students, including a Carlos & Cristina exhibit that opened May 3 featuring pieces such as artist Carlos Arredondo's 2024 Chollo Fish and 2013 Teeth n Lips.
Beyond the gallery, the nonprofit runs a mobile arts program delivering one-on-one creative arts education, a community engagement program offering visual art and music education workshops, and a Creative Health and Wellness Clinic. It also operates three adult day programs, located in Long Beach, Hawthorne and San Diego, and produces Artbeat Radio, a podcast on which adults with developmental disabilities write, record and host original music, audio stories and interviews. Together, the organization serves more than 3,000 to 3,500 children and adults with developmental disabilities, autism and other special needs across Southern California each year.
A Humanitarian Award With Ties to the Drum World
This year's ice cream social will also include the presentation of the Dr. Ami & Remo Belli Humanitarian Award, given to a group that aligns with and reinforces Able ARTS Work's mission. The award was established in 2014 by drumhead pioneer Remo Belli, founder of Remo Inc., and his wife Ami, and was first presented at the organization's Oceans of Love Gala to honor advocates in arts and health. For 2026, the honorees are Barbara Reuer, CEO and founder of MusicWorx, and Ping Ho, CEO and founder of The Arts & Healing Initiative, both recognized for advancing health and wellness through music and creative arts therapies.
Able ARTS Work's role extends into California's state-funded developmental services system as well. The organization functions as a state-approved vendor agency through the Southern California Regional Center network, including Harbor Regional Center, providing community integration and adaptive skills training under the framework established by the Lanterman Act. That vendor status underscores how deeply the nonprofit is woven into the region's disability services infrastructure, even as it continues to lean on grassroots fundraisers like the ice cream social to keep its headquarters debt-free.
How to Attend or Support the Cause
Tickets for the August 29 ice cream social are $25 for general admission and available through ableartswork.org, with organizers noting that attendees can make additional donations beyond that base fee. Glass said the organization is always looking for creative ways to build inclusive paths in the arts for students and the broader community. Beyond the fundraiser, Able ARTS Work says the public can support its work by attending workshops, visiting the gallery, purchasing artwork or visiting its website.
