|
The feature below is brought to you by Free Foundation, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their Instagram here.  Creating Beautiful for Homeless and Poverty-Stricken IndividualsA famous epigram states: “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” Through encouragement and empowerment, Free Foundation focuses on showing youth and young adults how to speak up and speak out on the behalf of those whose voices have fallen on deaf ears. Our organization does all that we can to provide hope for a better tomorrow, by taking time to recognize the sufferings of those in our surrounding communities. In the Metro Atlanta alone, there are currently more than 3,200 individuals who are experiencing homelessness. Most policy makers focus on the fact that the number has dropped by a measly percentage, rather than focusing on how we can eradicate the homeless population all together. There is no way that people should be comfortable with not helping those in need, when with a blink of an eye we could find ourselves in the same situation. Free Foundation stands firm on the fact that we cannot become complacent with the current state of the world, but we must change our outlook and do better for our communities. Free Foundation Inc. was founded in 2016 and has been destined to empower and encourage youth and young adults through leadership and community service. Our efforts are two-fold, as we work to bring together individuals with a philanthropic mindset and focus on being apart of something greater than ourselves. We strive to be the light in lives of those who are less fortunate, by seeing beauty in each and every individual that we come in contact with. In order to be the change we want to see; we have to put ourselves on the front line and fight until we see change. Free Foundation is more than just an organization, it is a lifestyle. We must free ourselves from the stereotypes and stigmas that the world places on what being hungry, homeless, or even poverty stricken looks like, but rather focus on how we can solve these issues and ensure that people have a better future, far greater than what they are currently experiencing. Through the organization of several events, Free Foundation is able to raise awareness of the issues going on in our community and bring volunteers together to support our initiatives. Our goal is to help in every aspect that we can and foster this same idea into our board members and volunteers as well. One of our most successful events have been our Help Feed Atlanta event. We bring together individuals who are working to server their community, such as barbers and chefs, and we work together to provide meals, care packages, hygiene products, and resources that homeless individuals can use to help get them out of their current situation. Since our start in 2016, we have helped close to 3000 homeless men, women, and children in the Metro Atlanta Area. Through volunteer testimonials, we have received nothing but great feedback about our events, and how they have inspired others to want to host an event. In 2020, despite everything going on, Free Foundation was able to provide over 20 families with a Holiday Miracle, making sure that their family had food, and their children had a memorable and enjoyable holiday.
Our goal is to be the new standard of what philanthropy looks like and to inspire others to do better for those who cannot do for themselves. We want to raise up a philanthropic generation that is not about the fame or popularity but is concerned with the number of lives that can be change on daily basis. When it comes to working with those who are less fortunate, Free Foundations remembers the importance of being optimistic and altruistic, as we come in contact with a diverse group of individuals. Our founder fosters advocating for the voiceless through every event that we host, being a part of something that is bigger than ourselves and being the change that the world so desperately needs.
0 Comments
The feature below is brought to you by Harvest 107, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  FOOD IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE What comes to mind when you hear the word injustice? For many of us, we immediately gravitate towards causes we see everyday in the media. But how often do we think about hunger? Would it devastate you to know that there are people in this world, potentially your own friend or neighbor, that don’t know where their next meal is coming from? It was devastating for a 12-year-old girl who learned about it in 2013. That year, Gracie Pfaff read a book about a failing family farm that was revived after sustainable practices were taught to the children of their community. Through loss and learning, the community was able to lift themselves not only out of hunger, but poverty as well. This inspired Gracie to do more research on hunger, malnutrition and to seek out an answer to her question: how could a family with a farm be going hungry? Through this research, she learned there were approximately 870 million people suffering from chronic hunger. Rather than allow that number to overwhelm her, she chose to make a difference; and the idea for Harvest107 was born. At Harvest107, we know that 3 billion people aren't getting the nutrition they need. We believe everyone deserves healthy food to eat, so we help people grow organic, nutritious vegetables to end hunger sustainably. Over 60% of those who are hungry and undernourished are women and children. While the ins and outs of hunger are complex, there’s one thing we know for sure: women are the key to ending hunger, especially in developing nations. That's why we train female farmers sustainability, health, and agriculture entrepreneurship. Through our SHE Initiative and Family Farm Pack program, we are providing women and their families with the information and tools they need to successfully and sustainably grow their own organic, fresh vegetables. We are honored to work with over 50 female farmers in Haiti and to witness their growth! Before the agribusiness and sustainable agriculture classes and assistance, the women and their families were eating vegetables about once a week. But after the courses, they’re now averaging about 4 times per week. Not only has their nutrition improved, they have also improved both the quality and quantity of their crop, and the ability to sell their product for a better price. We are watching their lives improve in so many ways. Harvest107 is also helping attack hunger by teaching the next generation about growing fresh, organic food, and how caring for the environment means a healthier future. We do this by working with schools (in both the U.S. and Haiti) to build gardens and implement these lessons through our speciality student sustainability course. Providing children with this knowledge has a multiplying effect, as they take home what they’ve learned to their family and friends, and one day will pass it on to their own children. Starting at school means that generations of people will be able to live healthier, thriving lives with full bellies. Through our school garden programs, we have been able to directly impact the lives of over 300 students. 2020 was a difficult year for everyone. When the pandemic arrived in Haiti, the farmers we work with were temporarily unable to sell at market in Haiti because they didn’t have access to masks and other necessities required to do so. This challenge allowed us to team up with a local artisan business to have masks made for the women and their families to get them back to market. Within the past year, there have been many unique challenges like this, but we have been able to keep working hard through it all. In Haiti, the price of food drastically increased because of the pandemic. With the expense of food rising, it becomes increasingly difficult to have access to the nutrition families need. Our work is more important now than ever before! Over the past 7 years, Harvest107 has been able to help thousands of people achieve food security and this is just the beginning. Our goal is to work ourselves out of a job - we won’t stop until every person has access to healthy, nutritious foods. Let’s end hunger one garden at a time. Submitted by Rhiana PfaffExecutive Director, Harvest107 The feature below is brought to you by Releash Atlanta, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  The smile of a dogReleash Atlanta is a 501c3, non-profit, foster-based dog rescue organization in Georgia. We work tirelessly to save dogs from high kill shelters and unfortunate situations. We operate 100% on the donations that we receive from the public and all funding goes directly to the dogs in our care. We stand ready to help those in our community find a companion that will thrive as part of their family. We exist to be the voice for those that have no voice, for dogs throughout Georgia who deserve a loving home. We save all breeds of dogs and provide the necessary veterinary care, placing them in loving foster homes. Our foster families help heal their hearts and bodies, learning what will be the characteristics of their FURever home and carefully consider all applications ensuring that they will live out their remaining years in a healthy environment. On many occasions, saving dogs takes cooperation between other rescue organizations. We work closely with our rescue partners and veterinarians to ensure that our dogs have optimal care Our passion for this work comes from the beauty that we see in every dog that we help! Dogs come to us dirty, broken, scared, emotionally and physically hurt and often come with an incredible lack of trust in humans! We see through this and we see the beauty in their eyes, in their souls and we believe without a shadow of a doubt that ‘before long’ they will have a gleam in their eye and that we will see them smiling! Some may say that dogs don’t smile and that you cannot see emotion, but we know this to be false. We have seen 1000’s of dogs make this transformation in our care and continue to transition into beautiful and happy dogs in their adopted homes.
We often hear from our adopters who send us pictures, stay connected personally or through our alumni page. We see these dogs living out their best life… traveling the country, living on the lake, enjoying the laps of their owners, playing with their families and truly providing joy to their humans. We value the life of dogs and the joy that comes from the relationship between a dog and their human. We believe that every dog should have a chance to live long and healthy life and we strive to make an impact on this world, in Georgia, by providing the business structure, the resources and most importantly the love that is needed to make a better place for our homeless pets! Seeing Beautiful is seeing the love and the impact that we make for so many! The feature below is brought to you by Hello Hope, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  Creating community through adversityThe journey for helloHOPE began nine years ago. Just after our oldest daughter celebrated her first birthday, she began exhibiting alarming symptoms and started to lose weight. In our search for answers, the next several months held visits to specialists, numerous medical procedures, and lots of fear surrounding what our daughter’s future held. During this season, we were immersed in the world of medical adversity. We discovered that it can take months to get an appointment with a specialist. Every waiting room we sat in was full of parents wearing brave faces as they waited for answers for their sons or daughters. Isolation and fear came easily. And an overwhelming amount of clinical words and information pointed more toward what was “wrong” with children than what was to be celebrated in them. In the winter of 2012, our daughter was diagnosed with EoE, a chronic GI disease that occurs when white blood cells attack the lining of the esophagus. In his wisdom, our doctor advised us not to search online for the diagnosis, but we were anxious to learn everything we could about what life was going to be like with this disease. Every website or story that we found pointed to either worst-case scenario stories or, at best, perpetuated the fear and questions in our hearts. We finally stepped away from the computer, looked at our daughter, and with the help of our community and prayer, we decided that it was time to turn off the stream of negative information. We carefully followed all of her doctor’s instructions, but our focus shifted. Rather than obsessing over all that was wrong, we started paying attention to the things that made our daughter’s face light up. The things that made her come alive. Exploring outside or running through the grass with her infectious giggle. As we watched her grow and gradually come to a place of healing, we knew that we wanted to steward the story we had been given. A little bit of research uncovered that 1 in 5 children in America faces special health care needs. That explained the full waiting rooms. And the place those parents are turning to for more information? The Internet.  We began dreaming together about creating an online community built on hope for families walking through a diagnosis with their child. Families could share how they navigated through their journey with hope and faith. We could share resources that provided truth and encouragement to parents who are feeling overwhelmed or alone. In July of 2015, helloHOPE was born with a mission of providing hope-filled stories and resources to families facing medical adversity. It has been a privilege to share 27 real, honest, stories of families who have walked through a childhood diagnosis with hope. These stories reflect a diverse array of childhood diagnoses from allergies and dermatology to oncology, neurology, and even stories of hope through loss. Every story is unique, yet each one has a thread of hope running through even the darkest and most difficult moments. And every story of hope that is shared leads the way for more families to discover that hope is possible for their family, too. In addition to the stories, more than 100 resource articles have been published, providing parents with much-needed support and encouragement. These resources include encouragement for the heart, prayers, and expert interviews. It has been beautiful to see our community grow over the last five years. In 2020 alone, more than 72,000 people visited our website and found that there is a community of families who are holding on to these core tenets: a diagnosis isn’t everything, you are not alone, and your story matters. It is a gift to be able to come alongside parents and celebrate their uniquely beautiful children and the transforming power of hope. Submitted by Mary Beth ThomasCo-founder, HelloHope The feature below is brought to you by St. Anne's Center/Lantern House, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  A story in numbersI am not a numbers person, which is why I really appreciate the way the See Beautiful Foundation highlights personal blogs and stories from the great organizations they support. During past awards I have truly enjoyed the opportunity to talk less about the number of homeless we serve and more about who they really are – where they are from, what challenges they have faced, and so often, their strength. But, as we submitted our application this round, I found myself unable to think of anything but the numbers. The heartbreaking numbers. As of January 21, 2021, the CDC reported 24,323,846 total cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. A number that is nearly the population of all of Australia. 404,689 – That is the number of those who have died from COVID-19 in the United States thus far. During World War II, America lost approximately 290,000 men in combat. In Utah alone, 328,308 people have been infected with COVID-19. That is like the entire city of Pittsburg, Cincinnati, or St. Louis becoming infected. As of today, 1,548 people have died from COVID-19 in the state of Utah. The numbers really are shocking. Even more shocking, although not surprising, is the number of infections and deaths among marginalized populations like the homeless. Homeless, and those from a low socio-economic background continue to lack access to quality food and healthcare. This leaves them at a higher risk for developing co-morbidities (e.g., diabetes and heart disease), and more likely to suffer extreme COVID-19 symptoms if infected. Without a shelter like Lantern House, the homeless and those struggling to make ends meet would not have a place to turn during this crisis. This leads me to the number I have been thinking most about lately – 30. On a given day there are about 30 staff at our shelter. 30 staff working to support 300+ homeless and hungry clients, some suffering from COVID-19, some doing their best to not to get infected. Only 30 staff! As a grant writer, I work from home far removed from the day-to-day hardships Lantern House staff are experiencing. But I do know them, and I have seen them in action. 30 people – an awe-inspiring number, keeping the shelter open 24/7, 365 days a year. They do a job each day I am not emotionally strong enough to do in the best of times, let alone a global pandemic.
Each day they log long hours in complete protective gear. Despite the risks of working near clients who are positive for COVID-19, they show great empathy and care for every person that walks through the doors. They were not trained in medicine, and yet they continue to rise to the occasion by supporting the testing, tracing, and quarantine measures currently in place. So, while I feel shock and sorrow by the climbing number of COVID cases and deaths, I feel hope by the immense impact such a small group of individuals can create. I do not get a chance to write about them in our normal grant requests, but who they are and what they do is essential to all of us. They are the unsung heroes of the pandemic in our community. Submitted by Hannah BowcutGrant Writer, St. Anne's Center/Lantern House The feature below is brought to you by Down 7 Up 8, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  How Down 7 Up 8 Incorporated sees BeautifulAt Down 7 Up 8 Incorporated, we see beautiful that lies within the souls of our children. Whether it’s a foster, adopted or at-risk child, we work towards providing knowledge and experiences that help to restore hope and dignity to all. We understand that each child’s situation is different, but Down 7 Up 8 Incorporated strives to show the children that life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful. Our outreach programs such as, “Princess for A Day,” “Boys to Men,” “Tutoring for Success,” and the “Teach Me How To” series are all designed to curate, enrich, and enhance the lives of these children. “Princess for A Day” gives the girls an opportunity to release the Princess within. “Boys to Men” present information to help our young men understand that it is not where you start, but where you finish. “Tutor for Success” helps to support the children who are struggling with their education, and “Teach Me How To” teaches them life’s lessons. Our Holiday Hearts program brings out the beautiful smiles on Christmas morning. As quoted, “I continue to believe that if children are given the necessary tools to succeed, they will succeed beyond their wildest dreams!” Submitted by David VitterThe feature below is brought to you by Mothers Advocacy Project, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  Harry Potter Jelly Beans. You can’t judge a book by its cover.2020 has been a year of “mishaps and learnings”, a year of “lets try better tomorrow”, and a year of “will tomorrow ever be better?” And if there is anything we have learned, it is that things are never what they seem. In the first four years of our organization, Mothers Advocacy Project, (which went through a name change from Foster Care Alliance this year) we have had a lot of tweaking and trying and figuring out the best course forward. And for the mothers In our program, they have done the same to find their best selves and be the best mothers they can be. Making changes and learning from failures is hard as an organization and maybe even harder as a human being. However, even when it is hard, it becomes less scary and less risky, when you know you have someone who believes the best in you, who will be your safety net when you stumble. I saw a quote one time that I really loved and it really struck me. The quote said “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” I am not sure who said it or where it came from, but the words rang true in my soul. No one really cares about being invited to a meeting or being offered an acceptance into a program. What they really care about is having a sense of belonging and value and feeling deep down that their presence matters in a place. The Mothers Advocacy Project (MAP) is a unique program designed specifically for single birth mothers whose families are at risk of involvement with the Division of Family and Children Services, due to harsh life experiences and traumatic events. The mothers in our program are given an opportunity to establish independence, autonomy, and stability for themselves and their children through a series of interventions including group and individual psychotherapy, social support, education, and engagement in participatory arts. All of our mothers are so different from one another. But, diversity is not enough to create true beauty. True beauty comes from within. True beauty is deep. That Is why building lasting relationships with other moms is so powerful. I mean, weren’t we taught as children not to judge a book by its cover? Did the Harry Potter jelly beans teach us nothing, when we saw two jelly beans that looked the same and yet one was buttered popcorn and one was earwax? Value is not assigned to our mothers based upon merit or achievement. Dignity is not earned. And family is not questioned. Generosity is not extended with strings attached. All of this is assumed from the moment a family steps in our doors. Too many of these women, if not all of them, have been written off by someone as not worthy of a second chance. Many of them have been labeled “unsuitable” as mothers because they don’t have the socio-economic means to provide all the opportunities assumed to be the standard. But, to us, they all have a chance to break cycles of maltreatment and trauma in their families. We see beyond the exterior shell. We see their hearts, we see their beauty and potential, and we call them into the thriving we know they can achieve. Submitted by Chelsea SaboThe feature below is brought to you by MV Arts - The Mount Vernon School, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  Design a better worldAt MV Arts, we seek to DESIGN A BETTER WORLD. With students as the designers and teachers as the facilitators that help make their dreams come to life, we seek to design a world that is just, equal, peaceful and inclusive FOR ALL. We think the best way to do that is through creating original artistic work FOR and WITH our community. Over the past 6 years, our arts program has sought to connect with our community in ways that are both deeply authentic and widely available. While the goal of many educational art programs is to simply create for beauty, we know that beauty is just one of the reasons why we create. In 2017, we identified 8 reasons to create and pledged to be a place where diverse narratives are ILLUMINATED and social justice is ACCELERATED through the arts. But what does it look like to illuminate DIVERSE narratives? It looks like “The Arrival,” a wordless immersive theatre experience that explored the concept of immigration and being a refugee. Using Shaun Tan’s award winning graphic art novel, our theatre team spent four months developing a piece that employed movement, dozens of puppets, a team of puppetry arts experts, projection, lighting, and live electro-acoustic Foley music to take the audience on the journey of a man leaving his family and journeying to a new and strange place. Illuminating diverse narratives could also look like a group of students working with local art-activist Charmaine Minniefield to understand social justice and activism through studying and visiting murals around Atlanta. Students then created their own original pieces that explored social topics while employing materials like spray paint and mixed-media. What does INCLUSION look like in an arts setting? It looks like partnering with the organization Los Niños Primeros for our Christmas Arts Showcase. These children had the opportunity to perform for their community in the 1,000 seat Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center during its inaugural year. As we celebrated the Christmas season, our theme “...for all people,”compelled us to widen our view of community and what it means to be a collaborator. Inclusion is also developing a touring musical based on the book, “The Adventures of Flat Stanley” that visits local public schools, libraries, and nursing homes. Students don’t just perform for their parents, but co-create opportunities to nurture literacy and a love for the arts across their city. What does INCLUSION look like in an arts setting? It looks like partnering with the organization Los Niños Primeros for our Christmas Arts Showcase. These children had the opportunity to perform for their community in the 1,000 seat Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center during its inaugural year. As we celebrated the Christmas season, our theme “...for all people,”compelled us to widen our view of community and what it means to be a collaborator. Inclusion is also developing a touring musical based on the book, “The Adventures of Flat Stanley” that visits local public schools, libraries, and nursing homes. Students don’t just perform for their parents, but co-create opportunities to nurture literacy and a love for the arts across their city. What does EQUITY mean for MV Arts? It means not telling students that they need to wait until they graduate to make an impact on their world. We want our students to work alongside industry professionals as they create original works TOGETHER that have an impact NOW. Equity looks like offering professional development for arts educators at a deeply discounted or free rate for public schools at our co:CREATE Arts Innovation Conference because their funding is disproportionately lower than that of private schools. What does PEACE look like? It looks like 60 students recording a world music celebration using dance, song, and acting during the holiday season with songs in Hebrew, Swahili, German, English, and Spanish so that our community knows that “PEACE TO ALL” requires “JUSTICE FOR ALL”. We strive to be a place where students understand the problems and inequities of our world. We want to empower our students to connect with artists and community members by giving them the tools to create original work that provokes/challenges/inspires, and then share that work with the wider community for maximum impact. Putting the right equipment in the hands of our students and compensating the BIPOC (black, Indigenous, and people of color) artists we interact with is the linchpin to the success and quality of this mission. We are so thankful for the opportunity to partner with See Beautiful as we design a more beautiful and equitable world TOGETHER. Submitted by Matthew NeylonDirector of Visual & Performing Arts, Mount Vernon School The feature below is brought to you by Art in the Paint, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  Art can speak to you Art in the Paint is a nonprofit organization that meshes art, basketball, and community support. Created by AR Cooper, a former basketball player and coach from Southwest Atlanta. Because of basketball, he has been able to see the world and experience beauty in all of the places he played and traveled. One thing that always stuck out to him in each location was the artwork and how that artwork united communities, celebrated cultures and encouraged positivity. Sports and art are both entities that bring communities together, which sparked the idea for Art in the Paint. Art in the Paint works together to find basketball courts in communities that need a little love and attention. We then find artists that are ready to create and work with those communities to determine need and focus. The artist and a diverse team of volunteers from all over Metro Atlanta, of all races and cultures, work to install a unique mural designed specifically for the community at hand. We’ve had kids as young as 4 year olds and Grammy nominated producers show up and paint on our courts. These murals have images that are focused on inspiring positivity and change, images that are amazingly beautiful, and images that are designed to promote discussions of peace and improvement within that community and the world at large. The basketball court then becomes the access point for Art in the Paint to promote physical activity and provide access to resources for the community. Courts are much more accessible, within walking distance for many of the neighbors. Our hope is that by bringing the resources and programs to the court, transportation and scheduling will become less of a barrier for the neighborhood youth and families to enjoy. The accessible central location allows our organization and partners to not only show people amazing art, but to also provide consistent hot meals, produce boxes for pick up, flu shots and COVID testing, voter registration, mentoring services, and many other necessities. Along with those amenities we work with the community to create and structure a basketball program for the youth that includes hot meals at practices and games, coaching mentors, and teams that encourage education and careers as well as strong characters and making positive choices. Messaging in art is very powerful and can close gaps in communities without any conversation. No matter what language you speak or understand, art can speak to you. Through our first three courts in East Point and College Park we have encouraged “Power and Peace”, “Changing Our Image,” and reminded neighbors to “Vote.” No matter where you are from originally, what race, culture, political belief, or religious ideas one has, they can find connection to the art and a smile just naturally follows. The beauty of the artwork is just the beginning, the interwoven partnerships and programs that follow the installation allow us and the wide array of all within the community to see beautiful for years to come. We work to decrease the impact of food deserts and lack of transportation resources and really provide the neighborhood with what is needed to ensure their basic human needs are being met and surpassed. When finished with an installation we not only leave an amazing piece of art, we ensure that the people of that community know Art in the Paint is with them, and working to support them, forever. Submitted by A.R. CooperExecutive Director, Art in thePaint The feature below is brought to you by CoachArt, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  Creating beautiful in the face of adversityCharlotte, age 14, was born two months prematurely and diagnosed with periventricular leukomalacia. This condition involves the death of small areas of brain tissue, which affected her motor control. As a toddler, Charlotte needed physical therapy and assistance to sit up, roll over, and crawl. Seeking a way for Charlotte to live a fuller life, her parents enrolled her with CoachArt when she was 8 years old. CoachArt enabled Charlotte to try a range of inclusive arts and athletics activities she couldn’t participate in elsewhere. Because CoachArt sports are ADA-friendly, Charlotte was able to use her walker while playing soccer, baseball, and basketball with other children on a team. “A lot of kids don’t feel like they can do things because of their limitations, but I tell them that CoachArt is incredibly supportive and they will help you do the things that you never thought you would do,” Charlotte told us. “CoachArt has challenged me. They have inspired me to take up things that I would have never taken up in the first place.” CoachArt’s mission is to create a transformative arts and athletics community for families impacted by childhood chronic illness. Due to frequent hospital visits, deficient immune systems, and physical challenges, children with chronic illness often miss school and feel isolated. Families, overwhelmed by the cost and demands of ongoing medical care, lack the resources to afford extracurricular activities. While in the hospital, children can participate in art therapy programs, but lose access when they move to outpatient care despite being at an increased risk of mental health challenges. Rates of depression among chronically ill children are 5 to 7 times higher than their peers. CoachArt programs create beautiful in the face of adversity by reducing stress, restoring fun, building self-confidence, igniting passion, and connecting families to a supportive community. CoachArt’s model is to match caring adult volunteers who have a skill with children (ages 5 - 18) who want to learn or improve that skill, in groups or one-on-one. Group lessons, or “clubs,” typically meet once a week for about a month. One-on-one lessons involve eight weekly hour-long meetings, after which the volunteer coach and the child can renew for another series of lessons. CoachArt provides the volunteer coaches and the families with any materials the lessons require, so there’s no cost to participants. Our programs improve the social and emotional wellness of our students, while features like our online podcast The UpBeat provide parents with resources and inspirational anecdotes on their journey. Many students become power-users, like Charlotte who has completed 204 lesson hours in various activities, and has discovered a passion for voice and theatre arts. Charlotte’s mom told us, “CoachArt never ceases to amaze me, how they can make all sorts of activities accessible to kids. They’ve really created a unique solution to a problem that I think most people don’t know exists.” In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, CoachArt was aware that families impacted by chronic illness would have to adhere to strict shelter-in-place guidelines due to their greater vulnerability. As a result, their children needed accessible extracurricular activities more than ever, with the role of “play” becoming all the more important in decreasing stress, fatigue, and depression—and in cultivating community and fostering belonging. On March 25 of 2020, CoachArt launched interactive online programming models to serve our community and keep kids connected: 1-on-1 and group lessons via Zoom video-conferencing, and Facebook Live tutorials. Lessons included arts and crafts, painting, drawing, music, cooking, acting, coding, martial arts, yoga, creative writing, and more. The response to online programming was positive. 96% of parents reported that online lessons were engaging for their child, and 87% of parents expressed an interest in continuing online programming after COVID-19 safety guidelines are lifted—underlying the need for including accessible, online lessons moving forward. One parent, overwhelmed with joy, told us, “CoachArt is doing more than just teaching. [The organization is providing] warmth, comfort, and structure during a scary and uncertain time.” With prior geographic barriers now removed, CoachArt officially started serving chronically ill kids and their siblings outside of California in 2020. Our team organized free virtual summer camp programs not only in our traditional services areas of Los Angeles, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area, but also in Chicago, Dallas, Denver, New York City, and Portland. The five-day virtual summer camps featured a different 1-hour arts or athletics activity each day, with all materials provided at no cost to participants. CoachArt promotes volunteerism and advocates for arts and athletics education for every child impacted by chronic illness, regardless of physical limitations or socioeconomic background. As CoachArt serves nine locations across the U.S. and continues to expand nationally, our transformative community will make each city we serve more inclusive of disability and difference, while creating a skillshare network that inspires chronically ill children to see the beauty in themselves and their capabilities. A society is more harmonious when all children thrive. CoachArt restores happiness from stress, hope from fear, and confidence from self-doubt for over 1,400 students and continues to grow. Thanks to the ongoing success of online programming, CoachArt plans to offer online programming to ANY child impacted by chronic illness in ANY city nationwide in 2021. Our vision is that every family impacted by childhood chronic illness will be connected to a community of support and an opportunity to learn and grow together. Submitted by Colton Alexio Associate Development Director, CoachArt |
See beautiful in yourself.
|
RSS Feed
